The Proxy
by Eyeclops
Summary: A normal teenager, Leon, has his life end in a mere 17 years and his next life is a world of talking ponies. However, all isn't well. Within this world of Equestria brews turmoil that threatens to embroil beings even more divine than gods. M for Violence.
1. Chapter 1: The Awakening

**Hello everyone, this is my first actual Fanfic. I have little experience with this form of writing, so criticism is appreciated. **

**Thank you for reading. The first 3 chapters were written out before I was eligible to submit any stories, so I won't have gotten any criticism between this and the next two chapters. Just a warning.**

**If you have ideas on what should occur next, even though I have the basic story in my head, please let me know. I would love to hear your ideas, and if I like that that much better than what was in my head, I might try to change the story to fit it in.**

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><p><strong><span>Update: Thank you all for the wonderful positive reviews, subs and favorites! I'm really flattered, and I'll make sure to keep up the quality as best as I can! Just think, this first chapter was only around 1,300 words, and now most of my chapters are over 3,000! Thank you all for making this a blast to write!<span>  
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A bullet has been fired...

A life lost...

The victim, Leon, died approximately 3:20 A.M. November 4, 20** from blunt trauma to the back of the head after receiving a crippling wound to the leg.

...

The suspect has been detained.

Name: [Redacted]

Height: 6'2"

Eye Color: BRN

Other information: Has confessed to the crime. Claims he killed the boy after the victim had stolen his wallet.

The wallet's contents (found on suspect's body) have been reviewed, the man was lying. The boy's license was in it.

Update: The man is a confirmed serial killer linked to several crimes.

…

**-Location Unknown-**

I, Leon, was dead. Three days before my seventeenth birthday. Shot down and clubbed to death by some deranged psychopath for reasons completely beyond me. Did I mind? At that moment, no. Being dead was the least of my worries. I was naked, it was snowing, and I didn't have the slightest idea as to where my location was. All I saw was snow and endless black. I was floating in an abyss of nothingness.

My mind was flowing with questions, "Why is it snowing in this endless black void I am floating in?", "Why am I naked?", and, after I realized I was dead, "How come I couldn't have died in a cool fashion, like jumping into a tornado? Everyone would remember that, and it would have been pretty damn awesome."

So I sat there, pondering the near-infinite supply of questions that had appeared as to my current situation and whether or not this was truly an afterlife, when I opened my eyes and sat up.

**-Just outside of Everfree Forest-**

"A Dream... That is all it was..." However, that was incorrect. I was in the middle of an unusually colorful field. I stood up on two limbs, but found myself losing balance. Confused, I looked down, only to fall backwards more out of surprise than lack of coordination. I was part marshmallow-pony. I had a jet-black coat of fur, my tail was the same color, and a red tattoo of a question mark. Then, as I went to pick up my head, I realized I had difficulties.

Apparently I was also part unicorn.

So I began to squirm around in as many creative ways to remove myself from this predicament, and, almost comically, I flew forward out of the initial hole my horn was in and rolled along the ground, causing my horn to form a second hole in the ground and myself being in the same position I was in initially. After screaming at myself and a few more minutes of struggling, I managed to finally get free.

Now sitting down on my butt, I rubbed off my horn with my hooves to remove the dirt clung to it and searched for some sign of where I was, but I saw none. So, with no other choice but to wander, I chose the nearby woods to search for clues of where I was.

Aimlessly wandering, I began to encounter plants and creatures I had never even begun to imagine existed, and after having several near-second-death encounters I stumbled upon a tree-hut.

**-Zecora's Hut-**

*Knock Knock*

I rapped the door with my, well, hooves, and sure enough heard a voice from inside.

"At the door I wonder who it is, and what I wonder is their business?"

The door opened to an unusual-looking zebra who, as I would later learn, was named Zecora.

"Hello, was it you who was talking?" I asked her.

"Why of course, who else would it be, that would be speaking, other than me?" was her quick reply, I noted her odd way of speaking, but decided against interrogating her over her vernacular.

In slight disbelief that a zebra was even capable of speech, and hope that I was asleep, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. However, much to my disappointment at the time, I reopened my eyes to the same zebra I have seen before I had closed them. So, I asked her a few basic questions.

"Where am I at? What am I doing here?"

"Everfree Forest is where you are at, Your second question, only you can answer that."

I decided that a zebra would be no less informed about how I had arrived here, especially in this form, so I decided to rephrase the question to see if I could get other information.

"I am a human, a 'man'," I started to say, quickly noting her facial expression changed slightly to one of confusion, "and I was wondering, do you know where the nearest human settlement might be?"

"A human, to me, has always been fantasy." Zecora said, "I cannot say I know many things on man, but seek out Twilight Sparkle you can."

"Who?" I said with an odd expression on my face. Zecora merely pointed down a path I had previously overlooked. So I nodded my head said thanks, and wandered down the path, taking care to avoid all of the mysterious fauna and wildlife along the way.

Eventually, I exited the forest, and sure enough, I saw buildings in what looked to be a relatively small village.

**-Ponyville-**

I slowly walked into town only to be met by a pink pony who, as soon as she spotted me, gasped and dashed away before I could even react to her presence.

"Excuse me! I wa..." My voice trailed away as I realized I would to be able to successfully speak to her, and that I was wasting my time on such a pony.

"Hello!" I heard a voice call out from behind me, "Who might you be, I don't suppose you're new here, are you?" I spun around to meet a fairly kind-looking purple unicorn who had a large smile across her face."

Attempting to be as friendly as I could be, I said "Hello, my name is Leon, and yes, I am new."

"Well welcome to Ponyville, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you!"

A huge smile formed across my face, "Twilight! I was looking for you, some Zebra in Everfree Forest told me to come talk to you about some questions I have that she couldn't answer."

Twilight looked up for a moment, "Zecora couldn't answer them? Well they must be tough if she can't answer them, but I think she's smarter than even me. I guess its something not in her area of expertise," she jumped up in joy, "I cant believe Zecora sent someone to ME for information!"

She began to rant and hop around. "So she must be pretty smart I'm guessing," I interrupted her, "but I guess she isn't perfect either."

She stopped, "Oh... sorry about that." She half-chuckled in a vain attempt to lessen the awkwardness, "Why don't we head to the library and see if we can answer your questions for you okay? At the moment I live there, so you're always welcome."

She smiled and began walking down a street, I quickly followed behind, eager to have all the answers to piece together this unusual puzzle of what I was doing in a place like this.


	2. Chapter 2: Inhuman

**-Ponyville-**

"Hey Twilight, who's this guy?" A rainbow-tailed pegasus flew from a cloud that had previously went unnoticed.

"He's new, says his name is Leon." Twilight replied. I assumed they were good friends based off of how they acted towards each other.

"Well then, nice to meet ya! I'm Rainbow Dash. Best flier in Equestria." She said, flying up in the air and posing in a way that would emphasize the fact she was proud of her flying skills.

I, still shocked by her appearance out of near thin-air, began to stammer, "Th-there are p-pegasi here too?" The winged pony's face, along with Twilight's, changed almost instantly to one of confusion.

"Well duh, I mean Ponyville may be made up mostly of Earth Ponies, but anyone can live here." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Well, that isn't what I mean, but whatever..." I trailed off, realizing I hadn't yet explained my situation to them. "I'll talk about it once we're at the library." I wandered along the town, looking at everyone and everything I could, trying to take in the peaceful nature of the village.

"Hey, are you athletic?" Rainbow Dash soon inquired.

"Me? Well, a bit I guess." I replied.

"Well, the library is just around that bend over there and down the road a bit." The pegasus said. "How fast can you get there?"

"No idea until I try." I said. I was fairly athletic when I was a human, and had been learning about parkour, so I decided I would see how fast I could get to Twilight's library.

"Do you mind?" Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to the violet pony next to me. Twilight giggled and gave her approval of the one-pony race.

"Okay!" Rainbow Dash said loudly. "Ready? Set. Go!"

I took off sprinting at a speed I had never assumed possible, somehow finding myself leaping off a fence, then to a sign, and finally onto the roof of a home. I sprinted across the deceivingly sturdy rooftop and leaped back onto the ground, cutting off most of the corner and finally sprinting to the front of the tree that was the town library.

The pegasus was already there, of course. Flying does give an unfair advantage. Then Twilight appeared next to me. I guess teleportation is unfair as well.

"Out of breath, but pretty cool." The sky-blue pony said with a smile on her face.

"That was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Twilight had exclaimed.

Surprisingly, I looked back and realized not only how much more coordinated I was than before I had arrived, but also how easy it was to breathe after such exercise. I, however, believed it was most likely because of the different body I had and that I had grown used to walking on all fours.

Smiling, I bowed in fake-pride.

"Crap! I forgot I was supposed to go to AppleJack's! Sorry guys, I'll see ya later!" Rainbow exclaimed in a hurry, and left faster than she had arrived. Neither me or Twilight even had a chance to respond.

We shrugged and walked up to Twilight's home and knocked on the door. It opened and a small purple creature opened it almost instantly. Twilight introduced the "baby dragon" as Spike, her assistant. He looked at me questioningly.

"His name is Leon, he's here to ask a few questions." Twilight said, and then smiling, she continued, "and judging by his cutie mark, I'm guessing he's pretty good at it."

**-Twilight's House-**

After sitting down at the library, or laying, I suppose, she began talking with me about many things, as if she were trying to just get me settled in. I simply nodded my head or agreed with whatever I could to reassure her I knew what she was talking about, even though I hadn't the faintest clue about most of it.

Finally, I decided to just get straight to the point. "I'm not a unicorn."

She turned her head in a questioning fashion, as if she didn't understand.

"I'm a human. I don't exactly know how I got here or what I'm doing here, but what I do know is that I was a human, that I died, and that eventually I found myself here."

She smiled, but said with a half-laugh that a claim like that was ridiculous. "Humans are a ponytale we tell little fillies about when they are growing up. They walk on two legs, can't use magic, and can't fly by themselves. They don't have the same talents as ponies, never get a cutie mark and yet they still manage to..."

I, slightly annoyed, interrupted her, "survive. Twilight, people are real. To me talking ponies were always a fairytale. Humans live by using technology. Magic is replaced with science. We can't teleport and we can't fly whenever we want to, we've needed to work together to do what we couldn't do alone. But you know what? Life for me isn't a fairytale... or your ponytale. Challenges always manage to come around every corner. Me? I was killed, Twilight. In my world, my life ended. I was shot by a gun in the leg, I couldn't move because of it. I was beaten to death by someone I didn't even know. When I came to, I was in a black space of nothingness. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but as soon as I arrived there, I was whisked away and the found myself here. I know the truth, and I guess if you don't want to accept it, I came to the wrong pony." My voice began to shake, so I got up and spun around, trying to hold in the tears in my eyes. I opened the door and began to walk away, a stray teardrop falling on the ground as I walked out, slamming the door behind me.

I walked as far as I could before breaking down in tears. I had just place all of my hope of finding answers on this one pony, and I was treated like a joke.

**-Inside Twilight's Home-**

Twilight was stunned. She had honestly thought the black unicorn was joking. She had not even begun to consider the claim of humans ever being a creature that could exist was possible. A claim that a unicorn once was one was even more ludicrous in her mind. Every book she had read spoke of them as fictional creatures, even going to explain the origin of the idea of where the idea of a "human" originated. It was utterly preposterous to think they existed. Still, this pony spoke in a way that showed he sincerely believed in what he said. She didn't know what to think.

Spike, who had been in another room, popped his head out wondering what the stallion had done. All he had heard was the slamming of a door.

"Twilight?" He asked, after not hearing her respond, he repeated it slightly louder, "Twilight?"

He entered the main room where the two had been discussing things, only to see Twilight staring at the door, dumbfounded.

"Twilight?..." he said quietly, touching her on the back. It was enough to cause her to break out of her trance.

"He came to me for help, and I just completely brushed him off! I'm so stupid!" She yelled and shoved her head into her hooves, which were now crossed in front of her.

She was quiet. Spike, though unsure about what had occurred, knew she needed time alone, so he busied himself with cleaning another room.

**-To: Princess Celestia. From: Twilight Sparkle -**

Today I made a horrible mistake. A strange unicorn came to me making a claim I had thought was outrageous. He had claimed that he was a human, not a pony. However, I thought this was a joke, and laughed it off. I didn't realize the consequences that my actions would have, and I ended up hurting his feelings. He had really believed that he was human. Now I've lost a chance at making a new friend, and in the process, I made myself feel absolutely terrible. I learned never to act without first placing myself in another pony's hooves, and to always take a moment to consider what they say, or you might lose the chance of making a good friend. I learned this the hard way today.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight S***kle...

_A teardrop is on this letter._


	3. Chapter 3:  God

**-Ponyville, Nighttime -**

So I sat there, alone. I had placed all of my eggs in one basket, in one hope, and it failed miserably. Twilight seemed so nice too.

Still, as I laid there sobbing, I realized I was an idiot. Nothing would get done by sitting in one place. I eventually found the strength and got up. However, all I did was find myself walking around with head hanging lowly and with no sense of direction.

"HEEEEEEYYYYY! HEY YOU! OVER THERE!" The pink pony from earlier was hopping up and down and was yelling at me. "You're gonna miss your party! C'mon!" She quickly grabbed my hoof and I found myself being pulled along by this overly-energetic pink pony toward the center of the town.

**-Sugarcube Corner-**

I entered the room and was immediately greeted by a bunch of ponies. All of them screamed "Surprise!" even though I had already known a party was going to occur as this pony, who introduced herself as "Pinkie Pie" had just yelled to me the fact a party for me was the destination. Still, what was this party for?

"Silly, its because you're new!" Pinkie Pie said when I asked why. "Now just have fun!"

That party brightened up my mood, I met many ponies, Rarity, AppleJack, and Cheerilee. All of them were nice, kind, and made me forget the fact I was disappointed with the information I had. I even managed to find out some basics of the land I was in, such as its rulers were Princess Luna and Celestia. That is, until the questions came.

"So what is with your cutie mark?" "Where are you from?" "How did you get here?" "Are you staying long?"

I stammered, I wasn't sure how to answer. What could I do? Most of them wouldn't believe me if I said anything about my past. I was already told it was a fairy tale.

"I... I don't think I can tell you guys..." I managed to mumble out.

I walked away from the crowd and said hello to Pinky Pie, who seemed to have stopped her prancing about. She was outside of Sugarcube Corner. "Hmm, that's funny," she said, "Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy aren't here!"

And then her tail twitched. Next thing I knew, I was underneath a yellow pegasus with pink hair.

"Oh there you are Fluttershy!"

"Oh dear... I'm so sorry... I.. umm... err..." Fluttershy stuttered.

I smiled, she lived up to her name. "Don't worry," I said gently, "I'm sure you didn't mean to do that."

"A sudden gust of wind blew me to the ground when I was coming here... Oh I'm so sorry."

I got up from the ground and smiled, "I forgive you."

...

...for...

..

forgive...

...

"AARGH!" I fell on the ground. A sudden jolt of pain went through my head.

I saw an image Twilight, alone in her library. She was in tears.

... forgive...

"!" I fell unconscious onto the ground even though I had lifted myself up only moments before.

**-Location Unknown-**

"Leon?" the voice rang in my head. It was a deep voice, but somehow it was comforting to listen to, peaceful even.

"Who is this? What do you want? Where am I?"

I was at the void again, in the space I had been when I first died. It wasn't snowing, however. It was raining. I was human as well, and I was naked as well.

The disembodied voice rang out, "I am merely another puppet in the great scheme of things. A god, so to speak. However, it is not your idea of a god..." The voice paused. "I am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land, I prefer to keep myself hidden in the shadows..."

"Wh- what?" I cried out, not sure how to react to such a claim. At first I was going to not believe, but then I remembered what had transpired between me and Twilight Sparkle.

"The ponies do not know I exist, and I would prefer to keep it that way..." this 'god' said. "I am immortal, and I can change this land and its destiny, but my job here is merely to watch... I cannot directly change this land by itself..."

I was stunned, but this didn't distract me from my own questions. The voice seemed to be leading me away from what I had originally asked. "So, what do you want from me? Were am I?" I called out the questions again.

"As for where your mind is, it is in my domain, the room where I eternally watch the goings-on of Equestria..."

The darkness remained, but a fireplace appeared. In front of it was a black leather couch, a glass table with a chess set that looked to be made of glass (and trimmed with gold) and a window that seemed to have no wall. A floor also became visible, a circular light up portion of black and white tile being what all of these items rested upon faded out into the darkness. The chess game was half-played, and the window seemed to have no accompanying wall. The side of the window I was not on seemed to be looking out into the world from the sky, but none of the light from the window entered the area I was now standing in. All of the light came from the fireplace. The rain faded away.

I slowly realized I was no longer floating in the nothingness, but was standing on this floor, though when, and how, I did not know. I also found myself clothed in a red silk robe that looked to be impossibly expensive.

"This game.." This God began to say, "Do you see how it moves, how it works?"

I immediately looked at the chess set, pieces were moving near randomly by themselves, completely ignoring the rules of how pieces should normally move in chess.

"It is an impossible game, and I am only a spectator." This god continued. "And this one is almost over..." The black king fell over. "But I have only seen games that were small, insignificant. However, this next game isn't the same."

I was confused? After a moment's thought, however, I understood. "The stakes are higher. Correct?"

"Yes..." The voice said. "We Gods all abide by a code we cannot break. We have limitations placed on us restricting our interference of the world below. Even though I am forbidden from interfering directly on Equestrian affairs, I deemed this next "game" to be a time I needed to bend those rules. I needed a proxy. You are that proxy."

"So my death was..."

"I stole you from your God." The voice said.

I was stunned, during my life I had not been a remarkable person, I enjoyed parkour, but I was not talented in any sense of the word.

"Why did I choose you? I did it becau-" Static. At the worst possible moment, static.

The rain returned and all but the window, the robes, and the floor faded into nothingness.

... Forgive Twilight...

I now knew whose voice it was.

It was his first command.

"God. I will be your agent."


	4. Chapter 4: Forgiveness and Explanations

**I had this chapter already half-done when the other three were published, so that is why this was released so quickly. Don't expect the speed of the releases to stay this fast. I'm going to write these as fast as I can, but I promise you that Quality is going to be my primary concern. Remember I'm still new, so give me as much advice you you want.**

**If you see anything that reads funny or is odd, feel free to post it in that chapter's review and I will revise it for later readers.  
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**-Ponyville Library-**

*Knock Knock* Spike dropped what he was doing and went over to the door, wondering who it could be at this time of night.

"Hello?" He opened the door. Standing there was AppleJack and Rarity. My body was on AppleJack's back, unconscious and limp.

"Do you know where Twilight is? This pony fell unconscious during his party and we were wondering is Twilight would know how to take care of it." Rarity said in a worried fashion.

"Yeah, and we don' know what got inta the little fella. He was fine one moment an' then he jus' sorta fell over in pain. Twi' would know what ta do." AppleJack piped up. "The others are cleaning up after tha' party. Kinda fell apart after the guest of honor... well... ya know."

**-Twilight's Bedroom-**

Twilight had gone up to her room prior to this, when Spike came in she was laying in bed, he inhaled, just about to wake her up.

"I'm awake, Spike." He heard her voice say.

"Well, you're kinda needed downstairs. Somepony passed out and Rarity and AppleJack brought him here."

She looked up from her bed. "What's his name?"

Spike had hoped against all odds she would not have asked it. He knew whatever happened between them was not good, and that if she knew who it was before she went downstairs (where the presence of other ponies would prevent her from saying no) she would most certainly refuse. However, she had asked, and he knew he wouldn't be able to lie.

"Leon..." He said, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Oh... Well I can't not help a pony in need I guess..." she got up from her bed, and slowly walked over to the door. Somewhat quitely, she said, "Thanks for telling me Spike."

"Oh, no problem!" Spike said, not catching the trace of sadness in Twilight's words. He was too busy being happy Twilight didn't refuse to help out the poor unicorn downstairs.

**-Downstairs-**

"Oh there you are Twi!" The orange pony spoke up. "I was worried about you!"

Twilight quickly hurried downstairs. "Is he okay?" She looked at my senseless body, but couldn't see anything that would have caused me to become incapacitated.

"No idea, he's been out for about half an hour. I know it is late, but..." Rarity said.

She felt his forehead, it was burning up. "_Owlicious_!" Twilight called to her faithful nocturnal pet, "Can I get a cold towel please?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him here." she transported my body upstairs to a guest bedroom she had prepared after the slumber party with Rarity and Applejack.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

**-Location Unknown-**

...forgive...

I just decided my fate. Whatever I was going to have to do, I would do it. An ornate wooden door appeared.

"When you are ready... proceed through the door."

I stood there for a moment, mentally preparing myself for what awaited outside of the door, and began to walk toward the door. It opened by itself, showing only a bright light on the other side. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and took the final steps forward, and when I opened them, I saw the one pony I needed to talk to the most.

**-Ponyville Library, Guest Room-**

I saw I was back to my pony form, lying in a bed.

She saw me, and then she looked down, almost as if she were ashamed of what had happened earlier. She had been sitting in the corner of the room, several books about herbal remedies and illnesses surrounded her. No doubt she was reading them because of me, a cold towel was sitting on top of my forehead.

"Sorry..." I said to her. She looked up, confused as to why I would be the one apologizing to her. "Listen, I was an idiot. I came up to you hoping I could get all the answers I needed, but I never really gave you the chance to understand what was going on. I brought it up so suddenly that I can understand why you acted the way you did. I shouldn't have been as angry as I was."

"No, it wasn't your fault Leon. If I were as afraid and confused... If I had place everything on one pony... If I had been let down like you were..." Her voice trailed off.

"I forgive you Twilight. Were you the one to take care of me?"

"My friends brought you to me, I simply tried to keep down the fever you had. In fact, you should probably get more sleep, its still only about midnight."

"No... I think I need to get up." I had a slight headache that got much worse as I stood up, but one of my legs had been laying awkwardly and it had fallen asleep, so I decided that standing was still the better option. I needed to wake it up.

"Huh? What's with y-" She began to say, with a confused look on her face.

Just then, Spike burst into the room. "Twilight, Pr- Princess Celestia is here!"

"WHAT?" Twilight looked shocked. "Here? Now? Why?"

"I-I dunno!" He stammered out. Twilight rushed out of the room, forgetting my existence almost altogether, Spike followed behind.

I stood there, unsure of what to think. She was the Princess of the Sun. How was it she was here at a local library? I exited the room and stood at the top of the staircase in front of the main room of the library. There stood the princess with ethereal aura about her. As I stood there, gazing upon this horse which had the characteristic wings of a pegasus and the unicorn's signature horn, I realized that Twilight was referred to as her "student". I had begun to listen in on their conversation.

The first words I comprehended were from Twilight, "Yeah, we did end up forgiving each other, but only after he lost consciousness at his welcome party. My friends brought him here ad I started taking care of him. I can't figure out what caused him to get knocked out, but I'm reading though all the books I can to figure it out. He just woke up a bit ago and he forgave me for what I did."

"Calm down," the princess quieted her student, "I assume that's him up there is it not? Why don't we ask him what he thinks about all of this. Right Leon?" She gestured toward me with one of her wings and smiled gently.

I wasn't sure how to react, so I stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face.

"Its okay, come join us down here." The princess urged. Twilight turned around and gave me a reassuring smile.

I walked down the staircase, and at the royalty's feet, I bowed, "Sorry for eavesdropping. I had no intention to."

The princess laughed, "Well I came here to talk with you. I have a few questions of my own to ask." She smiled, "And based on what my student Twilight's story, you have plenty to ask yourself. Don't worry about formalities, it is just us three, after all."

"Of course!" I smiled and got back up.

We settled down on the floor, sitting equal distances from each other, and began to talk.

Almost immediately after we got comfortable, I looked over at Twilight, "Do you think you could give me a chance to explain what has happened to me today?"

I began to explain how the day began as a human, and how I had lost my life to the hands of a stranger with a gun. Twilight interrupted me almost immediately.

"What is a gun? You mentioned it before... but I have no idea what it is." She seemed curious.

"It is a tool of death. It ends the lives of humans and animals with just the push of the button by making a piece of metal fly so fast it kills whatever it is pointed at." Twilight's face was one of complete worry, a tool like that would have horrible consequences if it fell into the wrong hands. She knew that this time one had, and she was horrified it had been used against another human.

"I'll let the subject of this end here." The princess said, a concerned look on her face.

I gave a reassuring smile. "I don't like the idea of it being in this world either, so I'll keep it a secret." I continued on with my story, cleverly avoiding the parts about the mysterious "god", and explaining all I had learned and saw in Equestria. When it finally ended, the princess sat there pondering the story for a moment. Twilight, however, seemed preoccupied with something else entirely.

"You didn't explain one thing. I get why your cutie mark when you got here, meant you didn't know much. That's why it was a red question mark. But why is it so different now? When I placed you in bed it was still the same. I was going to ask this in the room you were sleeping in before the Princess came." I was suprized, as was the Princess. I turned around and looked at my rear-end while the princess inquired to Twilight about my previous cutie mark. Instead of the red question mark from before, I saw several dark blue clouds just noticeable through my black fur, and among the center of them, a beam of yellow light coming through the clouds and fading away. I hadn't noticed this drastic change in looks until this moment. Then again, I rarely stare at my ass.

... you may... tell them... the truth...

I looked upwards, as if somehow I would be able to confirm with him that I was not hearing wrong. _I thought I was supposed to keep it a secret..._

...Do not worry, these two are trustworthy... You may find powerful allies in them yet...

"I left out a part of my story." They both stopped discussing what could possibly have cause my cutie mark to change and turned to face me.

"But it is so impossible, I'm not going to say a word until you both agree to believe what I say, even before I tell you anything."

Both mares were confused, but after what had occurred already, Twilight immediately consented. The Princess waited a moment, more out of pondering what I had to say than pondering her answer to the question, and then also agreed readily.

I took a deep breath and recited what I had seen and heard in the place that God resided.


	5. Chapter 5: Reactions and Dreams

**I spent a lot of today on this chapter in hopes of getting what I wanted on paper before I forgot. I got a good third of this chapter done when the power where I was working on it went out and I had to restart it from scratch. I might have missed one or two things in this chapter, so if you have any questions about what is going on or something seems out of place, leave it in a review and I will revise the chapter some more. Compliments and Criticism are appreciated. Thank you for reading!  
><strong>

**-Ponyville Library-**

I had just finished speaking of the events that had occurred up in God's realm, and I looked at the faces of both Twilight and Princess Celestia. They both looked at me with a concerned expression on their faces. I knew what I had said something completely unbelievable by any stretch of the imagination, and as ridiculous as it was to them that I was claiming to be part human, claiming I met some immortal deity would be infinitely more challenging to attach any form of weight to. It would probably take the average pony a gallon of vodka before even thinking about trusting what I just said.

_You Dumbass! Why'd you have to tell them all of this, they can barely believe you had a past life? Now you tell them you're a freaking savior?_ I mentally slapped myself for telling them all that I had seen in god's domain. I first claimed a critical event in Equestrian history was inevitably going to occur, and then I told them almost immediately afterward that I was chosen by some God as a champion to help save these... ponies.  
><em>Really? Why would they believe a total stranger who doesn't even in this world be chosen over a group of infinitely more talented ponies that have lived their lives in this world? I'm a total moron! Me telling them to stay quiet about this God sure wouldn't help the situation any either.<em> The mood was surreal, a bit sad as well.

Princess Celestia stood up. She said seriously, "It's time I go home. I need to read through some books on human mythology and to get prepared for whatever is going to occur."

I looked up at her. She had believed me? No... she couldn't have.

Just then Twilight spoke up, "I think I'd better start reading up on humans as well. Princess, may I use your library at Canterlot later? I think it would be smart to read up on major events in Equestria's past. We may need it for whatever event is going to happen."

"Y-you actually believe me?" I spoke up, trying to hold in the joy of somehow convincing these two of the situation.

"It doesn't matter." The Princess said with a slight laugh escaping her lips, though it failed to change the mood, "We should be prepared for the worst in case it does happen. Anyways, we promised that we would believe you, no matter how outrageous the tale."

"Yeah," Twilight added, "I think we need to be prepared for the worst," she smiled at me somewhat sadly, no doubt an effort to try to smooth things over from my first visit to her home, "I would have believed you anyways, even without that promise. I just never expected something like this."

_They're putting on an act. They have to be..._ I was thinking of how impossible I sounded, but both of the mares had acted as if every word that came out of my mouth was fact. "Listen, I'm sorry for what I just said. You guys can remove your facade. I mean, I might just be some mentally insane nut job..."

The mood instantly changed.

Twilight smiled, and then she laughed. "That's why I believe you!"

The Princess also laughed. "She's right. We believe you because you don't believe it yourself. You tried to tell us as if you weren't sure it happened yourself. You were speaking as if you weren't trying to convince us, but instead that you were just relaying the facts. To be honest, I think your cutie mark serves as the biggest proof of what happened."

She smiled, turned around, and walked out of the door. She smiled and waved with one of her wings "You're welcome at Canterlot as soon as you can get time!". I noticed two guards had been standing outside of the door.

Twilight closed the door behind the Princess and smiled. "She's a wonderful teacher."

I smiled, so that's how this little pony got an audience with the Princess so quickly.

"Twilight?" she looked at me,"... thanks... for everything..." It was all I could think of saying. I smiled.

"Well, its time for bed." The purple unicorn spoke through a yawn.

So we both walked upstairs silently, for Spike had already fallen asleep. At the top of the staircase, I hugged her.

"I really owe you a lot, and I know we got off on the wrong... hoof, but it really means a lot what you did for me. I really mean it."

She looked at me and smiled. "I really felt bad after you left. I had no idea... Today's been a long day. We'd better get to sleep so we can work tomorrow. Go ahead and use the room I put you in earlier."

"Thank you." I smiled. We split up and went to our separate rooms, I myself went to the room she had placed me in earlier, and she went to her bedroom. Even though I had been sleeping, I was still extremely tired. I laid down in the bed and closed my eyes.

**-Location Unknown-**

Naked. Dark. You know the routine. Still, this time, one major thing was different. I was next to a tall boy with black spiky hair. He wore Blue Jeans, a large black hooded sweatshirt and black tennis shoes. He smiled.

"So, I see you've been following what I've asked." The boy's voice was a normal one that fit his appearance, unlike the deep calm voice I had heard before.

I blinked twice. This boy was the immortal deity? That couldn't be right... "Looks can be deceiving. I'm exactly who you think I am." This boy said.

I smiled for a moment, and then, frowning, said, "Well, I'd rather next time you bring me here, you do it while I have clothes on. Floating next to you naked isn't exactly my idea of fun."

He laughed. The floor, couch, fireplace, window, red robes, and chess set returned. The pieces on the chess set looked to be in different position, the black king that had fallen last time had returned and was moving around as if nothing was wrong. The pieces, however, seemed to run around on their own accord, with no sense of direction.

We sat down next to each other on the couch, he sat with one leg on the couch and one on the ground, giving off as casual an appearance as possible. He pointed to a white pawn at the edge of the board, it was the only stagnant piece in the chess set. "See that? Can you guess what this piece represents?"

I looked at him questioningly.

"You. You are a mere pawn in this game here, off near the edge of the board. You aren't really part of this game." He looked at me and smiled. I didn't know why, I mean, he just told me I was useless. "But I didn't put you where are are for the sake of it. I did it for a reason." The pawn moved forward 3 spaces by itself. "You know what happens when a pawn reaches the other end of the board?"

I knew. It would become another piece, stronger than what it had been before.

"It becomes more powerful, no longer is it the dispensable piece it was before. However, you are a wild card. What piece you become when you reach the other end of the board..." The pawn moved along the board and reached the end, "is only decided by you..." It disappeared. I stared at this boy who appeared barely older than I was.

The this time the white king fell.

The board reset, a new game had begun.

"Is this it?" I inquired, worried I would have to face whatever task was ahead of me before being prepared.

The god laughed, and the corporeal form I saw slowly faded away. His deep, calm, disembodied voice returned.

"No, there are several more games to be played before your time will come... Do not worry quite yet... just learn about the world you are in... and determine who the king will be in your next game..."

I looked upwards, as if I were looking at him. _The king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?_

I knew I wouldn't be able to stay much longer, so I decided to re-ask the question that had been on my mind since the last visit. "God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?"

There was a low laugh, as if he were amused that I had mentioned this fact. "I chose you beca..." Static, yet again. The things around me began to to turn to static.

"No! No! No!" I grabbed my head with my hands and shook it. "Tell me God! TELL ME!"

It was too late. This world was fading out.

...destiny... ...surpass... li... ...

... Good Luck...

**-Twilight's Guest Room-**

I woke up gasping for air. I was sweating. I got up from my bed and shook my body. I wasn't fully adjusted to being a unicorn. I wandered out of my room and wandered downstairs. It seemed Twilight hadn't yet woken up. Spike and Owliscious were both still asleep as well. Not sure what else to do, I began looking through the shelves for a book. Eventually I spotted one I wanted to read. I climbed up the ladder, and at the top, I began to reach for the book. Then I heard a giggle behind me.

"That's for Spike silly." Twilight was covering her mouth with one of her hooves trying to keep herself from laughing. She lifted the book with her magic and lowered it to the ground. I fell off the ladder onto my back.

"Oh... yeah..." I mumbled, "I'm not lucky like you, I can't use magic."

Twilight laughed again.

"Well, good morning . I hope you had a good night's sleep."

She confirmed that she did and then asked, "Why up so early Leon? You were up even before I was."

"I guess I was just restless." I smiled, mentally praising myself for not getting my horn embedded into the floor. I twisted around and got back up.

Twilight smiled, and we just looked at each other for a few moments, unsure of what to say next. Then her expression changed to one of complete seriousness.

"Can I ask you something?" Twilight, broke the silence with a serious tone.

I looked at her, not sure what she was getting at. "Sure Twilight."

There was a short pause, the Unicorn took a deep breath.

"What would you say if I told you I think I saw your dream?"


	6. Chapter 6: Checkmate

**-Ponyville Library-**

I stood there, wondering what Twilight just said.

"You saw... my dream?" I said in slight confusion, "Are you sure? How do you know?"

She stood there, "I- I'm not sure, I closed my eyes, and then I saw two people. One with clothes and one without." I blushed as I remembered that I was naked in the beginning. She began to explain what had happened in my dream with extreme clarity, and I looked at her with a disbelieving face.

"You... you saw all that?" I stood there, curious as to why she was chosen to see this vision. "Well, I guess its just confirmation I'm not mentally insane I guess." I smiled and laughed. I heard a low rumbling noise coming from my new friend's direction.

"You weren't at the party last night, when was the last time you ate?" I smiled, "Because you're stomach is telling me it hasn't been in a while." We both laughed.

**-Sugarcube Corner- **

"Heeeeeyyyy!" Pinkie Pie hopped out of Sugarcube corner when we walked towards it.

"Hi Pinkie!" I said. Twilight mimicked my greeting.

She was bouncing up and down, "So whatcha here for? Cake? Ice Cream?"

"I'm not sure quite yet." Twilight responded, "I'm gonna go inside and talk about it for a bit."

"Everyone's in there ya know. Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, Fluttershy, and even Rarity!" Pinkie hopped around, "And now you and me and Leon!" I wondered how she had so much energy, she was easily the most energetic pony I had met so far. We walked into Sugarcube corner and sat down.

"Hey Twi'!" "Yo Leon!" "Oh... he-hello Leon..." "Twilight, you look absolutely delightful today!" We met the other ponies at a table in a corner of the room. I smiled, these ponies were so good-natured and sociable, it was enviable.

I smiled as we sat down and talked. "So what 'appened yesterday? Do ya know?" AppleJack inquired. Everyone else looked at me and Twilight wondering if there was an answer.

"We... really aren't sure..." Twilight stated, "Whatever it was, its all better now."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't happen again. It is quite troublesome seeing a friend suffer." Rarity smiled.

"Yeah, you cut the party short before I could ask you to show me some more of that running you did yesterday." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms in annoyance, "It was pretty awesome." She held her hoof out and we did a high-hoof. I smiled. She was my kind of pony.

"Maybe we can hold another party sometime!" Pinkie Pie leaped up in the air.

"No more parties," I backed up defensively, "I enjoyed it, but I don't think I can handle any more."

"W-well I hope you can spend some time here in P-Ponyville." Fluttershy quietly said.

I smiled sincerely, "Don't worry Fluttershy, everybod... everypony here is so nice. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave." Everyone laughed. We spent most of the morning talking about random things, but slowly the group started to break up.

"I need ta finish some apple buckin' down at Sweet Apple Acres." AppleJack first said. Rainbow Dash also had to clear some clouds from the sky that morning. (Apparently they control the weather, and the weather doesn't work on its own.) Fluttershy decided to go back to her home to feed some of the creatures near her home, and Rarity had an outfit she apparently could not afford to "dillydally" on any longer.

Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and I stayed a bit longer, but then, soon enough, Twilight spoke up, "Leon, you think we should write a letter to princess Celestia saying we are going to go today? I have so many questions, but the books in the library aren't cutting it, I can't find anything on..." She stopped short. She couldn't tell Pinkie Pie. "I can't find anything on that creature."

Pinkie Pie hopped around some more, "What creature huh? Whatcha studying this time Twilight?"

Twilight paused and looked at me for advice on what to do next. "Humans. She wants to know about them," I said.

"Oh, that silly ponytale?" She giggled. A pain struck my heart after remembering the last time I heard that word. Twilight seemed to have a brief flash of irritation across her face that seemed to signify the same thing. Pinkie Pie was oblivious, and it was fortunate she was. I would rather not be pressed with any questions about why what she said would bother us.

"Well, we'd better go, or we won't make it to Canterlot today Leon." Twilight said.

"Okie Dokey! Have fun!" Pinkie Pie turned around and went into another room. I walked out of the door with Twilight.

"Well, I guess we're walking?" I asked her.

Twilight smiled, "No way! That's a bit ridiculous. There is a train we can take that is scheduled to leave in a little bit. We'd better head over there."

**-Train to Canterlot-**

Twilight and I sat next to each other on the train. "What do you think is gonna happen?" I asked the purple unicorn next to me. She smiled.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I'm sure we can overcome it." She smiled. I did too.

Then an explosion rocked the train, and it came to a halt. Twilight looked to the front of the train wondering what caused it. Everyone around us began to panic. "Please stay calm! Nobody is in immediate danger. Stay in your seats and please stay quiet!" A female pony with a tan body, blonde mane and tail, and a blue train-worker's uniform tried to hush the murmurs. Nopony listened.

_Nopony... These ponies are rubbing off on me! _I laughed a bit to myself, and Twilight looked over. "Oh, nothing." She looked at me confused while I smiled to myself and got up from the seat.

"What are you doing?" Twilight looked at me oddly.

"I think I should check on what happened. Maybe I can be of some use." I turned to walk towards the front and noticed she was following me.

"It isn't fun sitting around doing nothing is it?" I said as I laughed. We were stopped at the front of the cart.

"It would be best if you return to your seat, sir," the female train attendant said. I looked at her and tilted my head questioningly. She seemed preoccupied with something.

"What's going on up there anyways? You sure seem like you don't want anyone up there."

"Oh... nothing... nothing at all..." She said to me. I looked at her, trying to see what she was hiding.

"Let's just return to our seats Leon." Twilight said, about to turn around. I smiled.

"That was a huge explosion, and such a quick stop, are you sure nothing is happening, because if I were to experience something like that I would think a lot would be going on."

The attendant looked at me. She stared at me. "So you are the boy..." I looked at her funky, as did Twilight.

*pow!* Out of nowhere, a hoof struck me across the face and I was immediately on the floor. That lady just hit me!

Everyone gasped. Twilight spoke up. "Hey! Sto-" another explosion rocked the train. The tan mare went to strike me again. "Twilight, get to Celestia and the library, we need to know as much as we ca- OOMPH!" I was struck in the gut by the remarkably strong mare. A unicorn somewhere in the crowd must have used her magic, because Twilight went flying against the side of the train and went limp. I tried to move, but even before I had a chance, the tan earth pony used her rear hooves to strike me across the face. Everything went black.

**-Location Unknown-**

God had taken his true form, a pitch black winged unicorn with light emitting from the area where he stood. A golden crown with a delicate ornate design that dwarfed that of either of the princesses rested upon his head. His wings were edged with a dark blue. However, most of this was difficult to see, he wore a hooded white robe with gold trim that covered his entire body, even his face.

He was standing over the chess board, carefully observing the board.

My white pawn was surrounded by several stronger black pieces. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

"So they know..." He said to himself, "I hadn't expected _them_ to have found out so quickly about Leon... I had preferred they not notice him..."

The pawn that was my piece became the king. It fell over, instantly captured by the surrounding pieces, signifying the end of the chess match.

"I lost." The deity took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

**I'm already working on the next chapter, blah blah blah. I hope you enjoyed it. It's getting crazy. Give me criticism and compliments in the reviews!  
>I'm going to reorder some of the major events coming up so as to make this the most enjoyable read possible without having any long segments of boring. If any of you have suggestions, let me know. Questions are piling up all over, but don't worry, they'll all be answered soon enough.<strong>

**Sorry for the short-ish Chapter. I decided to end it here instead of where I initially was going to because the next part serves better as a beginning than is does as an end to a chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Divine Resignation

**-Leon's Mind-**

I was remembering my previous life and how I had changed in two short days. Always the calm and analytical one, I scored fairly well on tests, even if I didn't study for them, though my laziness in school always prevented me getting all A's on his report card. I always tried not to be impulsive, and to think though everything I was going to do before doing it, it made me seem indecisive, but when I finally made a decision, it was almost always correct. I always tried to let logic rule my actions and keep my emotions from taking control...

Now, I let my emotions control things I did, not just logic. I acted a few times out of impulse. I even got upset with Twilight that first day. I was afraid to use logic, things in this world worked differently. Nothing I knew was right, and so I found myself to be unpredictable at times here. I was acting differently. I was acting afraid.

I still did analyze the situations around me, I still tried to keep emotions from controlling my actions... I... I wasn't as successful as I used to be. I even struck up a deal with god before I knew why he chose me. I didn't even think about that decision at all. I realized, since I had arrived, I was more of a wildcard than I used to be. It wasn't necessarily my fault, the new environment had wiped out the last traces of my security. And I was just starting to get it back.

I found I was sticking by the side of Twilight... maybe a bit too much, trying to figure out what was going on. Even after I understood everything... I began to think I was vulnerable without her. She had been that pony I could lean on all of the time I was here. I really needed her. She was the security I had while I was here.

She was why I was changing. Why I let my emotions control me at moments over my actions, why I didn't always sit there and think through things all the time.

I didn't mind.

I remembered the discussion I had with God about choosing a King for my chess game and what I had thought. _"The_ king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?"__

I made my decision._  
><em>

_I want to protect you, Twilight.  
><em>

**-Canterlot Castle, Celestia's Quarters-**

Princess Celestia paced her quarters, as did her little sister, Princess Luna. Celestia had told her sister what Leon had recited the previous night. They had just been told a train from Ponyville to Canterlot had been stopped by an explosion on the tracks, and that a unicorn had been kidnapped by some other mysterious pony. Nopony in that room needed to ask a name.

"Dispatch as much of the royal guard as we can afford to without severely weakening the defenses here. Finding that pony is priority number one." Celestia instantly commanded some of her top soldiers to go find this pony. The guards were confused over her concern, but she refused to explain any further as to his importance. "Damn it!" She paced her room. The passengers had been moved from the train over to a large group of carriages and were due any moment. She had heard Twilight was injured, and had no idea what she could do to help her student.

"What are we going to do? This is absolutely ridiculous." Luna spoke up, "Who could it be? I mean, only you, Twilight, and I knew of Leon's secret, why would they, whoever "they" is, go after Leon?"

"It certainly is a problem." Neither the Celestia nor Luna recognized this male voice which had come from behind them.

"Who are you and how did you enter this room? There are multiple barriers, both physical and magical, that should make it all but impossible to enter here." Princess Celestia looked directly at the person, prepared to defend herself and her sister if need be. The other creature nonchalantly wandered over to a pillow and sat down. Both Luna and Celestia were about to act when they noticed something about the black pony with a blue trim around his wings. He was a winged unicorn and he had a crown more ornate than either of theirs.

"I broke too many rules, and here I am doing it again. He's alive, but he surely won't be for long." The Princesses knew who they were talking with now.

"God..." Luna bowed, as did her Sister.

"Oh stop with that crap! I don't need you bowing, it won't get anything done." Neither sister was used to such coarse language, but neither was going to argue with this supreme being. "Listen, I made a gamble here, that I could place an agent here without anyone realizing I had done so. I screwed up and now _they_ have captured Leon. They're going to end his life before he can change the outcome of Equestria's next major event."

The Princesses looked at each other, "So what are we going to do? Do you know where he is?"

The black pony lowered his head, "I wish I did, but it's hard to find the location with several... other beings working against you."

There was a knock on the door, and the two princesses looked at each other.

"Come on in!" Celestia's voice called out, but Celestia hadn't spoken. She glared at the now chuckling stallion. Twilight entered the room in a slight limp, a guard helping her walk.

The guard gasped, "I told her she wasn't in any shape to talk with the Princesses, but she insisted that it was urgent. Seeing as she is your student, we brought her up here and..." He stopped short, feeling like something was out of place. However, all he saw were the two Princesses and Twilight. "You know, she's here, she can explain it herself." The guard let the purple unicorn down on a pile of pillows near the door and left.

"He didn't notice you." The Princess of the Moon said, looking at this... god. The stallion smiled.

"He didn't need to. As for you, Twilight, you probably can guess who I am, you saw me in a dream if I remember correctly. It may not have been your dream, mind you, but it was important you saw it nonetheless." Twilight looked at this being, as did the Princesses.

"I was here to tell Princess Celestia about what happened on the train and... does Princess Luna know what's going on as well?" Twilight asked.

The blue princess nodded her head confirming Twilight's question.

"Go ahead and show us, Twilight, the events on the train." The only male in the room spoke, so Twilight focused, and then made her horn flash a bright light. Soon, the two princesses witnessed the sequence of events up until she was hurt.

"I'd listen to his advice, all of you. About reading up as much as you can in the library." God spoke as if he didn't even care that Leon was in mortal peril, "I've lost my bets up until this point, and this is my last gamble. Twilight, that dream you saw of Leon's. I chose for you to see it in case something like this event had occurred. I need you, now more than ever, to become the second agent in this game." he acted as if all hope for Leon was gone and put out.

"Why not yourself?" The ruler of the sun spoke as if she were questioning his actions, "You outclass every other pony in Equestria, and could easily defeat any opponent. Why not you?"

"Because... I want what's best for Equestria at this point. By appearing to you, I have chosen... I will give up my rule over this domain." All three ponies now looked at him, shocked.

"I cannot... be able to help any more after this, as soon as I am found, I will be hunted down by other... gods... as Leon has been. I cannot be the one to save Equestria because of the sheer difficulty that even this causes upon my body. I cannot fight here, because we have little control over our own domains. Gods have rules and seals designed to prevents actions such as this. I have already broken several of both. I cannot save Equestria, because even if I did try, the obstacles would be much greater than they already are for you."

This being looked down to the ground, and let his crown fall off of his head. "My rule over this domain has been fun, but all good things must come to an end..."

"I have complete faith this game will be played, spectator or not. All I can hope for is that Equestria will be the victor." God smiled solemnly. "Twilight. The chess match that will determine the fate of Equestria rests in the hands of a few select ponies. You, the Princesses... even the now lost Leon..." He turned and looked at the balcony. "Luna, your moon looks very wonderful tonight... This will be the last I view of this land. Goodbye."

...I set up the board... Now play the game...

All three ponies stood there, feeling more vulnerable than they had ever been, even though the God had yet to leave their presence.

**-A Cave, Location Unknown-**

I regained consciousness and woke in a cave next to two ponies and a small fire. I saw the mouth of the cave, it was snowing outside. There was the tan mare, who had now discarded her train apparel, and there was a male white winged unicorn with a mane that was black, with a light blue mixed into it through the center of the mane and tail. Then I noticed. The tan pony was the same species now as the white one.

"You don't belong here. You never did." The mare spoke to me matter-of-factly. I looked directly at him, trying to give no hint as to what my emotions were. I knew fleeing wasn't a feasible option, they had already captured me with extreme ease. Running away would only get me hurt by these ponies even sooner.

"Gods are we?" I spoke confidently and raised an eyebrow, hoping to bluff my way out. I knew it was a long shot, but I didn't have any other ideas at the moment.

"And you are a mortal, a mortal that belongs somewhere else." The white pony spoke.

I looked at them and smiled, "You are quite right. I belong at Canterlot, but some odd mare on the train seems to have thought otherwise. So, who are you two?"

"We are the people who have placed Equestria back on the path to its destiny. Unlike the current ruling god here, of course."

I saw their cutie marks. The tan mare had an ornate shield on her rear-end, the white mare had a sword equally as elegant. "I was asking for your names..." I tried to keep up the small chat while sizing up my opponents.

"I am Ace, and the female here is Aria." I looked at the white pony who had spoken, "And it doesn't matter what you get from us when it comes to talking, you know just as well as I do you are outclassed here in pretty much everything. Period. Escape is a dream that only a fool would hope for."

I closed my eyes, knowing Ace was right, "So when have you two decided I am going to die?"

"As soon as I choose." Aria spoke, "If you annoy me or try to escape, you die right away. But for now, you'll live. The gods are deciding your fate as we speak, so your afterlife will not come until _they_ decide how to deal with your interference."

I sighed, wondering how I would escape. I had to escape. I stared into the fire, and closed my eyes, hoping to reach God. Maybe... just maybe...

"You can't reach your God. It's completely impossible for any form of communication between you two with us here."

I closed my eyes and focused, trying not to believe what she had said.

"Because... I want what's best for Equestria at this point. By appearing to you, I have chosen... I will give up my rule over this domain." It was _His_ voice. It sounded like he was talking to others... but somehow, I knew it meant it for me as well.

I sighed, I heard him, but it wasn't exactly what I had hoped to hear. I began thinking through the situation. The God's didn't know everything. They had flaws as well. I knew it.

I had just proven these Gods wrong after all.

With renewed hope I opened my eyes and stood up and remembered what I had heard from the deity I had pledged my loyalty to. _"You know what happens when a pawn reaches the other end of the board?" _

The two immortal beings looked directly at me, wondering what I was about to do._"What piece you become when you reach the other end of the board... is only decided by you..."_

I heard God's voice again, this time not from memory, but from a place far, far away.

...I set up the board... Now play the game...

I wasn't used to acting on impulse, but that was just what I was planning on doing.

I was about to do a whole lot of stupid.

**Normally, I would wait till later in the day to release this chapter, but seeing as it is already plenty long and I'm going to have a busy day today, here it is. Happy holidays to you all! Please review and let me know how I can improve, I've been doing my best to listen to all of the suggestions I can, and hope you will all continue reading. Have a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate!**


	8. Chapter 8: The King and the Crowns

**-Celestia's Balcony-**

... The ponies were silent, watching this divine being staring solemnly at the moon, the wind blowing through his mane. Tears were flowing from him.

The Princesses and Twilight knew God would be there for a while. All three understood he wanted to be alone, so they departed for the Canterlot Library, seeking the information they needed.

**-A Cave, Location Unknown- **

They seemed amused, "So what do you have in your mind little _boy._" Aria spoke to me with a slight note of disgust towards me. "You can't escape."

Three swords materialized in front of Ace, as beautiful as his cutie mark had shown. They floated around his body, possessed by whatever force emanated from his body. He smiled at me in a cocky fashion. "I've ended the lives or stronger and faster ponies than you. You'd better sit back down."

"What's the point? I'm going to die either way. So if you want to kill me... It just happens to be now or never." I looked at them in the eyes, prepared to meet my fate. Ace laughed, so amused he even let his swords fall to the ground. Aria herself seemed amused, but unlike her partner, who was rolling all over the ground in laughter, she kept her posture. She looked directly at me.

I started to walk towards her.

"It looks like I have a life to end today." Aria surged towards me at a speed I had only seen Rainbow Dash match.

**-Canterlot Library *Third Person*-**

The Princesses and Twilight had spent their entire time in the archives, reading through every book they could, but they weren't able to find anything. "What would he have wanted us to search for... if our labor was going to be fruitless, God would never have sent us to do it..." Twilight was exasperated. She had no idea what there was left to read. Her mentor and her mentor's sister were in the same position, every book on humans and every book on past equestrian disasters happened to either be on the floor or piled up haphazardly on one of several tables.

"Nothing... we found nothing..." Twilight looked defeated, "We don't have any clue as to what's coming up, and there aren't any clues as to what happened to Leon." She paced back and fourth around the room, not sure what to do next.

A book suddenly caught Twilight's eye, it was in a different section of the library from where they had been. It was the fiction section. It was titled simply as The King, and there was no author to speak of on it, but for some reason Twilight couldn't stop looking at it. It fell off the shelf and opened on its own to a random page.

There was an image of Leon on it, and next to him, a chess board like the one Twilight had seen in Leon's dream.

The princesses, wondering what the purple pony had been staring at walked over next to her, they both froze as well.

"Ladies, I think we found our book." Twilight turned around and said, trying to shine some happiness throughout the room with this new discovery. However, her voice, and her face, showed exhaustion.

"We may have found it... but it may be better to look at it with fresh eyes Twilight. We all need sleep." Celestia told her student.

Luna nodded in agreement. "We shall rest and meet here in a few hours. Twilight, there is a guest room right down the hallway you may use. Keep the book safe, will you?"

Twilight nodded, and all three ponies left the room, leaving the piles of books on the floor where they were.

**-A Cave, Location Unknown *1st person*- **

I knew the last moments of my life were upon me, Aria had summoned five beautiful dark blue lances that surrounded her like Ace's swords had with their owner. She closed the gap between us within a fraction of a second and was about to strike with her horn. With reflexes I had never had before in my life, I sidestepped her strike. I was moving by sheer instinct. Before I could even think, two of the lances began to lower themselves. Adrenaline rushing, I leaped forward toward Ace and rolled, the spears embedded themselves almost a third of their length into the hard ground.

Ace, by this time, had recovered, and prepared his swords. I decided to take a suicidal approach. The more unpredictable I was, the harder it was for them to take the offensive. I charged toward Ace, disregarding all form of logic. I sensed the other three spears of Aria flying toward me from behind at a speed impossible to outrun, I stepped off of a good-sized rock near me, leaped up in the air, and did a 360 degree sideways roll in the air as the lances flew underneath and past me. I landed and continued running towards Ace. He saw me, and began his assault as well. Doing a several rolls, leaps, and ducks, dodging every swing of the swords. The lances that passed me now spun around and speared the entrance of the cave blocking the exit with most of their weight. I would need to break them to leave the cave. I ignored that problem and focused instead on Ace, just moments away from tackling him, he rose up in the air and swept horizontally with a sword.

Everything entered a state of slow motion, I leaped onto the blade, just as I had during that race in ponyville, and grabbed onto his ankle. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. I rolled past him and grabbed a sword that had fallen when he lost his focus with my mouth. I spun around and threw it, twisting my neck to throw it as quickly as possible, it flew through the air at a speed not even Aria couldn't dodge. The hilt struck her across the face and she collapsed, unconscious, to the ground. Ace got up and looked at her, he spun around with anger being apparent over his face.

"You... you hurt her!" He was clearly enraged. His swords rose up from where they were, and pointing straight at me, flew at me with the clear intent to skewer me.

_Immortal doesn't mean indestructible. I won't die to you. I refuse. _

I turned and raced towards the lances blocking the cave's exit. I couldn't let this be the end. After reaching the lances, I turned and faced the swords, jumped, and did a front flip. The swords raised their trajectory, adjusting to my height difference. I closed my eyes. Now or never... My neck cracked as my horn struck the three swords at an angle. It swept the speeding swords into one of the lances. The lance, remarkably, didn't break, or even scratch, but the rock it was embedded into crumbled under the sheer force causing the lance to go flying and the entire cave to shudder. Ace realized what I had done and turned to move Aria away from some falling rubble. I was going to make the mountain fall on top of them.

I ducked through the opening the impact created and sprinted into the woods, the snow quickly covering up my tracks.

"Damn..." Ace said. The rocks collapsed quickly around the two gods. "Oh well, he's going to die from the cold anyways." He laughed and kissed Aria on the cheek, "Looks like our time is up."

He sat there, a sad smile on his face.

"Remember what they said, Aria? If our bodies die when we're in a world, its impossible to return again to that world. Looks like we failed, Aria..." He laughed and laughed, "and we were having so much fun."

The cave entrance finally cave, closing the only exit, "We won't be returning for you Leon. We had fun."

All I heard was Ace's laughter as I ran, with no real destination in mind, through the knee deep snow.

**-Canterlot Library *Third Person*-**

Luna was at the Library first and began re-shelving this books. She, however, was preoccupied with other things, so it was extremely inefficient. Twilight walked in.

Luna looked at Twilight and went to speak, she opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to tell her that... that. Luna closed her mouth again and thought for a moment. Finally, she gave up trying to find a good way to tell Twilight. "...the royal guard that my sister sent out just returned..."

Twilight knew they hadn't found Leon, she could tell from Luna's voice. "Where... where is your sister?" Twilight decided to try to change the subject to try to prevent her emotions of anger and frustration from seeping into her voice, even though the question itself almost brought her to tears. She had really grown attached to the black unicorn.

"I don't know, but she should be here soon... Listen, he'll be all right." Luna said this gently and put a wing over Twilight. She knew the second half of her sentence was empty words, but the Princess didn't know what else to say.

"I... I couldn't even protect him... I was right there, and... and..." Twilight began to cry uncontrollably, unable to contain her feelings.

Celestia entered the room silently. She had news she needed to share with both of them, but she noticed that with Twilight like she was, it would be difficult.

"Sister, could you please come over here when you get a chance?" Celestia quietly beckoned her sister over. Twilight was so busy crying, she was oblivious to the voice. Luna nodded her head and called fourth a blanket from her room. She laid it over the crying unicorn, and walked over to her sister.

Celestia immediately cast a spell, showing the balcony of her room.

She saw God, standing there in the same position he was left when they departed to the Library. He had become a solid white marble, and the floor underneath his hooves let out a faint shimmer. His crown had been the only thing exempted from this change, it was by the now-statue's feet, placed there by the Princess Celestia herself.

"Is that- Why is he- What happened?" Luna tried to form a question for the situation.

"... look closer..." was the only response.

Luna looked at the crown. In small letters, in the center of the crown was a single word: Twilight.

The lunar ruler closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Should we show her now?"

Twilight was still sobbing. "We'd better wait..." Celestia said to her sister.

**-Leon's Location *1st Person*-**

I had run a good mile in the snow, but I was soon running out of energy. I found that one of the swords had given me a gash across my right shoulder, I didn't know when I sustained it, the adrenaline had kept me from noticing, but it was apparent now. I stumbled through the woods until I found a hollow tree with a large opening. I walked in, collapsed, and immediately lost consciousness.

-**God's Domain-**

The fireplace, the floor, the window, the chess set, the robes. Everything was there.

I walked across the tile to the table and chess set. Everything was silent.

The white king had fallen, but the pieces continued to move. _Who was the white king? Who..._

Then I understood. It was me.

_And so... does this mean my story ends here? I died? Already?_

I looked down, and saw the white pieces surround the black king, and that king also fell. The white king shattered, causing an explosion that blew all of the other pieces all over the floor. I stepped back. The fragments of my piece had frozen in midair.

"... ... ..." I kept hoping for an explanation as to what had occurred, but God wasn't here. Expecting anything was idiotic.

All of a sudden, a memory washed over me.  
><em>"God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?"<br>...destiny... ...surpass... li... ... _

The chess king's shattered remains flew toward the center of the board and formed a bright light.

God's voice rang out from the light, as clear as could be. "I chose you, Leon, to be my proxy for a single reason. You are a defect. You have no _destiny_. You are the wild card I needed for this next chess match. You can _surpass_ all who came before you. You are _li_mitless."

I stood there, looking at the light in awe.

"I am no longer here. I have given my last commands to my second proxy. Twilight. I no longer reside as a god, but only as a memory in the minds of a select few. This room will always be open to you, feel free to come and go. Just remember, the eternal game of chess will always be played. And as long as it will be played, it will never be understood."

The light faded. The king was there, my piece. It was surrounded by a crown identical to God's, with a single major difference. A single word was on it. Leon.

I picked it up with my teeth, but didn't dare wear it. _Twilight is his second proxy? _I smiled, I didn't know anyone else who would be a better ambassador for god than Twilight, even when compared to me.

The ornate wooden door appeared, on it was etched a single phrase: "To the next guardian of Equestria, I wish you good luck."

It opened, the light consuming the entire room. I walked through with the crown in my mouth, back into the world.

Behind me, the chess set reassembled. Another game began.

**Its going to get real busy again where I am, so don't panic if my releases aren't daily all of the time. I'm going to try to keep up that pattern for as long as I can, but I want to make sure that Quality is #1 on my list of priorities. I was testing out 3rd person POVs for wherever Leon isn't located. As always, reviews are welcome! ** Read on fellow bronies!**  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Located!

**-Canterlot Library-**

Twilight got up. She finally had grip of her emotions, and while it had taken over an hour, the Princesses were still there, watching her patently. Princess Celestia let her cry, it was her loss after all. She had been sitting with her wing over Twilight.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this, Princess Celestia..." The purple unicorn looked up at her teacher, and her teacher smiled in return.

"We all have moments like that Twilight. It was your turn. Sadness is a natural part of life." She looked over to Luna to signify that she was about to tell Twilight of the news.

"I have something I must show you, the book can wait for now, if you would come to my quarters. There is something there that you must see..."

Twilight wiped the last tears that were on her eyes, got up, and walked after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna out of the library.

**-Leon's Location-**

I opened my eyes. My wound had disappeared, but I was laying in a small pool of the blood that had dripped out. "Eeurgh!" I stood up quickly, hitting my head in the process. I noticed that on the ground, the crown I had taken from god's realm was there. I picked it up again. With my mouth, and left the tree. I began to walk the same direction I had the day before. Running no longer seemed needed.

After a few hours of walking, I realized it was no longer snowing, though when it stopped was beyond me. "I thought ponies controlled the weather..." I thought aloud to myself. "It must be like Everfree Forest here..." I looked up at the sky.

... I was wrong about it being like Everfree. A faint dot in the sky, a single speck, began to come into focus.

_A pegasus..._

"HEEEEEEY!" I jumped up and down, trying to get the attention of the flying pony. "HEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

The screaming finally worked, and the pony flew to ground level. It was a yellow pony with an mane and tail that looked as if it were on fire.

"And who might you be?" I asked the Pegasus.

"My name is Leon... I seemed to be lost, and was wondering if you-" I stopped, she was staring at the crown I had set down by my feet.

"Where did you happen to... to get _that_?" She asked with a hit of jealousy in her voice. She seemed tomboyish, but the crown seemed to have gotten the better of her.

"It happens to be someone else's. Don't worry about it. I was going to take it to Canterlot, but I ran into some... issues on the way. Where am I?" I tried to move it out of sight for the pony, who kept staring at it. She looked at me. It was clear in her eyes that she didn't believe a single thing I had said.

She eyed me down, "So how come your name is on it?"

_Crap!_ I thought to myself. "Err... uuh... well, I'm not the only Leon in the world am I?"

"Actually, you're a first for me, and I've met a lot of ponies. Whatever your reason, I guess I don't need to know." A slightly disappointed look was on her face. "Anyways, you're near Cloudsdale, a bit north of it actually. Sadly, you cant go there, since it is made of clouds."

"Wait, I can't?" I looked at her, realizing I slipped up one too many times in the conversation.

"What is with you? Out in the middle of nowhere with a crown, you don't know what you're doing, and you forget non-pegasi can't walk on clouds?" She looked at me, trying to decipher the odd behavior that I was doing,

"Can you just please tell me where the nearest road is? Please? You haven't even said your name. Interrogating me is just rude!" I was trying to turn the tables on the conversation, to get her on the defensive. The less questions, the better.

Dang. It didn't work.

**-Hallway in front of Celestia's Room-**

"Guys, what are you doing here!" Twilight smiled as she saw five of her closest friends walking up to her. "Rarity! Applejack! Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie!" She smiled and ran to her friends, who were being escorted by guards.

Celestia nodded her head and the escort disbanded, each returning to their original posts. "And what brings you here?"

"We came as soon as we heard about the big boomie on the train!" Pinkie Pie jumped up. She hopped around for a second, looked around and then finally asked, "Hey, where's Leon?"

Twilight looked down.

Pinkie didn't realize she had hit a sore spot, "So?"

Luna spoke so her sister's student wouldn't have to."He went missing after the train explosion. We sent out some people to look for him... but they didn't find him..."

All of the new ponies looked absolutely shocked, his disappearance wasn't mentioned to any of them.

Princess Celestia spoke up, "I have something I need to show Twilight Sparkle in my room, and to be honest..." She paused. She didn't know if she should tell these ponies about what had occurred. She looked at Twilight, who understood her question.

"I trust them, they're my friends." Twilight smiled. She turned to face them, "I have a long story to tell you, and I'm sure you're not going to believe any of it... I didn't at first either..."

She took a deep breath and recited the entire story, from when she had first met Leon to her sharing his dream. She spoke of God, and his recent resignation. She told of Leon's kidnapping, and the book in the Library.

"But there is one part not even you know yet, my dear student." Princess Celestia spoke up to Twilight as soon as she finished. "All of you, let's enter my bedroom."

The five ponies all stood there, taking in what was said. All of it was ridiculous, but even the Princesses were on board. None of the other ponies had actually noticed the change in his cutie mark either.

**-Princess Celestia's Quarters-**

"So, Princess Celestia, what is it you wanted to show m-" The magically inclined purple unicorn froze at the entrance of the room. The other ponies ran into her beacuse of how abrupt it was.

She saw exactly what Luna had immediately seen. The other five ponies didn't quite understand where her shock came from.

"God... what happened to him!" Twilight stood there silent, "He really is gone isn't he?"

"Who is this guy?" Rainbow Dash flew around the statue, "Gotta be important if you have a statue of him."

Luna clarified for the newcomers, "That.. was god. After his resignation... this happened. That really is him, so be careful around him okay?"

"He... he's stone!" Fluttershy said in her "shocked voice", even though it was still barely a whisper.

The five ponies murmured among themselves, that is, until Rarity spotted the most beautiful thing she had seen in her life.

"Wh-what is THAT!" She ran past the marble statue to the crown on the floor. "It... it's simply the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The elegance! The grandeur! The magnificence! The... the everything! I- I- I love it!" She was beginning to stutter, analyzing every detail she could without touching it. The rest of the ponies, minus the two Princesses and Twilight, began to walk over themselves and take a closer look at the crown. Twilight, however, was still fixated on the marble figure that dominated the area. God stood there, staring up at the sky, looking almost as majestic as when he was alive. She felt bad for him, he had sacrificed his rule for the faint chance of the next major event in Equestria, whatever it is going to be, would turn out okay. She wondered what had become of him.

"Oh dear... Twilight, is this yours?" Rarity's voice called out. It was enough to snap Twilight out of her trance. The princesses looked at the crowd, wondering what Twilight's response would be.

"O-of course not! That crown was God's!" She walked over to the crowd and gasped. The book she had previously balanced on her back, The King, fell down. The book opened to two crowns. They were identical in all features but one. _Leon. Twilight._

Twilight looked at the crown and saw what everyone else did. "My name? Wh- why?..."

**-Leon's Location, North of Cloudsdale-**

This Pegasus wouldn't shut up. Nag nag nag. I looked directly at her, "What's your name?"

"You tell me the truth." She retorted.

"I can tell you the truth, which you won't believe, or I can tell you a lie which you will. Which to you prefer?" I asked the question while beginning to walk, she confidently flew around me, being as obnoxious as she could while doing it.

"Listen punk, but I really don't think you know much do ya?"

I looked at her and smiled, "Nope! Not a single thing. Now can I please get some form of direction?"

She laughed, "I'll give you a hint, you're going the wrong way." I stopped.

"See, shows you how much I know." She laughed again. She wasn't as obnoxious when she was laughing.

"Tell ya what, if you tell be a little bit of the story behind that crown, I'll help you out with your direction problems! The name's Spitfire."

I stood there, "Wait, THE Spitfire from the Wonderbolts? Rainbow Dash back in Ponyville went on and on about you."

"Oh, her?" Spitfire laughed, "I like that pony, and to be honest, she'd be a great Wonderbolt. Too bad all our formations all call for a specific number of ponies. If we could, she'd be on in a heartbeat. She's better than most of our team to be totally honest, but don't tell anyone I said that." Spitfire at an angle, just slightly ahead of me. "The road is this way if you're wondering."

I walked on towards the direction Spitfire mentioned and decided the easiest thing to do was tell her a believable lie (as believable as I could make it anyways), though normally I was against it, questions would slow me down, and the last thing I needed were delays.

"I won this in a bet in Fillydelphia. Some goldsmith bet his skills and expertise against the gems that you now see imprinted on this crown. I obviously won the bet."

"What was this bet?"

"Well, it was a race across the town. Don't ask how we got into the bet, I don't exactly know. He made me this crown when I won. I told him I wanted to give it to the Princess Luna, who I think deserves more credit for her work, and just to spite me he carved my name onto it."

Spitfire laughed again, this time for reasons I was unsure about, "You sure tell a good story, even if you can't lie at all. I guess I'm not getting the truth out of you today. Maybe one day you'll let me know."

"Darn, you noticed," I said, "Well, I guess one day, I might be able to tell you." I smiled, "You never said I had to give the true story after all."

She smiled. Once she had laughed, she wasn't nearly as obnoxious. Either that or when I mentioned Rainbow Dash. Or maybe it was just me. I wasn't sure.

"I'll see ya around okay? I have a meeting with some of the other Wonderbolts soon, there's going to be practice. Besides, it's getting cold out here, " Spitfire called out as she flew up into the sky, I saw her destination, a city of rainbows and clouds floating in the sky.

Cold huh? I realized I hadn't been cold after I had regained consciousness. I shrugged, assuming some magical property of the crown prevented me from feeling the cold. It was the only thing that had changed since before I had went to God's domain. I shrugged and walked toward the road.

**-Cloudsdale-**

The couple of the Wonderbolts were at their practice area, nopony outside of them were there at the moment.

"So did ya all hear? There was an explosion that wrecked a train between Ponyville and Canterlot! Rumors from the wreck say one of the ponies on it went missing." Soarin' said to some of the other Wonderbolts around a table. Spitfire walked in just in time to hear.

"Who went missing?" Spitfire asked, she had heard of the wreck, but this was the first anyone had mentioned a missing person.

"Well its just rumors now, but a lot of ponies on the train say that one of the attendants knocked out a black unicorn and kidnapped him. There are also some rumors going around that Princess Celestia sent out some of her guard to find the pony, but they came back empty handed." Fleetfoot said with her feminine voice.

Spitfire paused, "Does the rumors say anything about what the pony looks like?"

Rapidfire spoke up, "The dude that got knocked out and kidnapped? Well he was all black, horn, mane and tail. They say his cutie mark was a... what was it again..."

Spitfire, remembering the suspicious pony she had just met, spoke up, "Did he happen to have Storm Clouds with a beam of light piercing through them?" They looked up.

"Yeah that's right. But how would you know?" Rapidfire looked at Spitfire.

"Tell the manager I'm going to miss practice today. Can one of you find someone who can contact Princess Celestia? Tell her I know where Leon is."

"Leon?" All of the other Wonderbolts that were present spoke simultaneously, looking at each other.

Spitfire zoomed out of the practice area, headed northward as fast as she could. She didn't know who this mysterious unicorn was and how he got Princess Celestia to be so interested in his well being, but she was definitely going to find out, one way or another.

**-Celestia's Room-**

Celestia had watched as Twilight had stared at the crown. Everypony around her smiled about it, except for Twilight herself, who actually seemed downright horrified. She felt she would be defiling God's work if she wore such a crown, not to mention the fact she did not have any position that entitled her to wear a headpiece, one this beautiful even moreso.

She backed away. "I don't think I can wear this, I mean, you can't exactly explain why I would have it to other ponies anyways..."

Celestia stepped forward, "Would you like me to move it to a secure storage area, Twilight? I personally think you should keep it, It _was_ his gift to you after all."

Twilight considered the offer, but she also considered the Princess's view on the matter, "Okay, I'll keep it, but don't be surprised when I never wear it." Everypony in the room smiled and laughed.

Twilight spun around and saw the page in the book. She smiled sadly, remembering her lost friend, "So Leon has one too?" She closed her eyes and took a breath to keep calm. She decided to change the subject, "So where are you all staying?"

All she got in return was a group of ponies saying different forms of, "Uuuuh, we dunno..."

She sighed and looked at Princess Celestia, who covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled.

They all walked out, all except for Luna.

She walked over to the statue and spoke to it, "I'm honored that the last thing you saw was my moon, God..." She bowed to it, showing her thanks for what the Deity had done during its time alive. She also turned to walk out of the room.

A letter appeared in front her at that very moment, and judging by the parchment, it looked like it was written in haste.

She unraveled the string around it and straightened the paper out with magic. It was addressed, "To Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

She read the contents and a smile came across her face. With a cheer, the royal princess jumped up and ran after her sister in the most unroyal of ways.

**I was up a lot of last night working on this chapter, it is easily the longest one so far. I know it wasn't the best chapter, but I've been doing this for... well not that long real****ly. Remember to review!  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10: The King's Words

**-Leon's Location, North of Cloudsdale-**

I had finally found the road. I stopped there, trodding through the snow was anything but an easy task.

"LEEEEOOOOOOONNNN!" I saw Spitfire flying through the air straight at me. She was in her Wonderbolt's uniform.

I kept walking, only a small distance and I would be out of the snow. *Bam* She plowed into my side and we rolled through the snow.

We came to the stop and I found her smiling, standing on my shoulders. "Umm... hello Spitfire?" I looked at her with confusion being the most obvious emotion on my face.

She was out of breath from the flying, but she did the best she could to speak through her heavy breathing. "I... I just heard you went... went missing and... and the princess was... was looking for you."

"Wait, what?" I looked at her.

"I heard rumors... a black unicorn got... got kidnapped... on some train going to... to Canterlot from... from Ponyville... and he... he looked like you... cutie mark and... and everything... and the princess was... was looking for him..." Spitfire continued to gasp for air.

"Well, we can talk about it in a moment, just get off of me okay? You should catch your breath." She got off of my shoulders, and I stood up. We both shook off the snow and faced each other.

"So what exactly do you know?" I said after Spitfire recovered.

"Not too much, but whoever you are, you must be important. Crown, Royal attention. Can I please hear the full story?"

I stood there for a moment. _What is with her, why does she want to know this so badly?_ "Listen, I really don't know if I'm in a position to tell you what's going on... I really am sorry. It is quite important and all, but..." I paused, the pony looked at me with her face showing both emotions of disappointment and understanding.

"Don't worry, I guess. I told some of the other Wonderbolts to contact the Princess, and so if you don't mind, may I see if there is a way to keep you in Cloudsdale so the Princess knows where to find you?"

I looked at her as if she were crazy, "Look you know I can't get up there, and you know I can't stand on clouds even if I could.

"Well if there's a will there's a way!" She zoomed over to my crown and tossed it up in the air with her nose. "H-hey!" It landed gracefully on my horn, but before I even had the chance to move, Spitfire flew over to me, grabbed my front hooves, and took off for the city of clouds.

"Let go!" I yelled at her, the speed she traveled at made me feel like she was going to dislocate my shoulders.

"Don't worry, you're going to love it up here!" Spitfire yelled back, the wind made it hard to hear what was being said.

I looked down and saw the ground, "Never mind, don't let go..."

**-Canterlot Castle-**

The Princess had just finished assigning some rooms for Twilight's friends, it had been a simple matter of checking to see which rooms were and weren't available in the section of the castle devoted to Guest Quarters. She had just seen their items into their rooms and turned to let them get situated when Luna came stumbling down the hall in excitement.

"Sister! Look at this letter from Cloudsdale!" She tripped and fell on the floor.

"What is it Luna?" She magically took the letter that Luna had been carrying and read it. When Celestia had finished, her face wore a smile that was larger than any she had worn before, "I think we should let this be a surprise for our young student."

She went to her sister, "Can you prepare an escort for me to go to Cloudsdale, if anyone asks, just let them know I had some urgent business to attend to there." She smiled.

"Where are you going sister?" Luna asked, wondering what was on her older sister's mind.

"Oh, me? I think I should visit Twilight before leaving."

**-Cloudsdale-**

Spitfire had taken me to the rest of the Wonderbolts. More than slightly peeved, I was barraged with a large set of questions. "Was it really you that got kidnapped?", "How'd you get away from them?", "What did they want from you?", "How come the princess is so interested in you?", "What's with your crown?"

I was simply listening to all of them speak, but I didn't actually get a chance to respond before having several more questions thrown at me.

"Hey guys, break it up will ya?" Soarin' walked over, "He can't even stand anywhere yet."

He was right, I had been literally draped over the backs of the other Wonderbolts this entire time, and needless to say, it really wasn't fun.

"There's the hot air balloon you asked for!" Some brown pegasus called out. The blue and yellow balloon rose into view from beneath some nearby clouds.

Spitfire flew over to the balloon with me on her back, "See? A will, a way."

I did a sort of half-smile, "Touché"

Spitfire merely laughed and walked back onto the nearby cloud she had previously been standing on.

Rapidfire walked over, "I guess Spitfire will tell us what she knows, so you don't have to be bothered with questions, and if she doesn't know, well then we won't ask. She was the one who nagged at you first after all." He laughed and rejoined the other Wonderbolts.

I smiled and called out to them, "Do you know if there is anything I can eat? I am.. sorta hungry..." They all laughed. I didn't though. I hadn't eaten since the train ride...

*Growl* I looked down. There was no getting food now, it wasn't like I could just make it appear, and I definitely couldn't just leave the balloon and get it. "So I guess you guys can go practice then, it's not like I have anywhere to go anyways." I smiled, and they nodded.

"You owe us for having to delay practice!" Soarin' said as he flew off.

I sighed. Nothing to do but wait for the Princess to Arrive...

**-Twilight's Room at Canterlot Castle-**

Twilight was looking at the book, The King. It refused to turn its page. She didn't understand. The book would open to two pages. There was the page of the two crowns, and the page of Leon and the chessboard. She decided the best thing to do was to look over what was in front of her. She looked at the image of Leon.

She looked at the page of Leon and the chessboard. She tried to understand this page. "What good is a book that won't give us any information that we don't already know?" She let her head drop in defeat, not getting anything. She took a deep breath, "Maybe the other page..." She went to flip to the other available page in the book, and as she lifted up her hoof, words slowly appeared on the page.

_"God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?" _

_"I chose you, Leon, to be my proxy for a single reason. You are a defect. You have no destiny."_

Then they vanished as soon as they appeared. More words replaced them.

_"Just remember, the eternal game of chess will always be played. And as long as it will be played, it will never be understood." _

These words disappeared, and several more words appeared, but they were not like the rest. These were even more beautiful and elegant than the rest of the writing that had been in the book before. She heard Leon's voice fill her mind as she read this newest set of words.

_"The king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?_

_..._

_I want to protect you, Twilight."_

These words, unlike the previous ones, etched themselves into the book. Twilight didn't know what to think, she sat there, both flattered and confused as to what she had just read.

*Knock Knock* The princess entering the room surprised the purple unicorn, who quickly hid her previous emotions. "Hello princess, what are you doing here?"

"Something just came up in Cloudsdale, and I'm going there now to take care of it," the Princess wasn't exactly lying, but she thought it might be best to surprise her. She had her friends in town, so she would be fine.

Twilight looked up, "What is it that came up there?"

Celestia looked at her, "It had to do with the train crash. A someone that was on the train is there that might have seen some things other passengers haven't, and in this case I think that it might be serious enough to warrant my presence there. How's the book going?"

"I can only see two pages right now, and I don't know why. The book just seems to reveal itself over time. It's like these words..."

The Princess looked at the book for a long period of time, no doubt reading the same things Twilight had. Her formal appearance softened and she gave off a calm aura of kindness all of a sudden, "You have a great friend in Leon, don't you? I'm sure he's fine, so don't worry about it."

Twilight looked at her mentor and smiled, "There is one other page I'm going to look at. I hope everything in Cloudsdale works out!" She turned back to the book, and her mentor smiled.

"I'll see you in a bit Twilight." On her way out, all the Princess thought about what the book had shown her, _"No wonder Twilight had such a blush on her face when I walked in!" _She laughed a bit to herself, and left for the escort to Cloudsdale.

**-Cloudsdale-**

I had been sitting in this balloon for a good 2 hours now and I was bored as could be.

"Not much you can do here when you can't fly, is there." He heard a voice from behind him.

"P-Princess!" I turned behind me, she was standing on a cloud. She was so silent, I didn't even notice her approach. I bowed immediately.

The Wonderbolts also came over, and when they did, they also joined in. The princess smiled. "Thank you for contacting me about finding my friend Leon. I do appreciate it." She turned to face Spitfire, "I am in your debt, if there is anything you need, just let me know." Inside, she was extremely relieved that somepony had found Leon.

Spitfire knew exactly what she wanted, "Well I do have a question, if I may?"

The Princess was caught off guard, thinking the usual physical gift would be requested. Not this time however, just knowledge. She looked at her, "Ask away dear Spitfire."

"So, I was wondering what is with Leon? He seems a bit... odd... Why exactly were you so worried about his well being?" The princess looked at me.

I took a deep breath, "I really don't know who at this moment is able to discuss this. I don't even know if the Princess really has the authority to disclose the information either..."

All of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire most of all, stared at me with jaws open. The _Princess_ was the most powerful pony in Equestria! If she didn't have the authority to tell them...

"Then who does?" Spitfire completed their thoughts out loud.

"The only person who can disclose the information?" I looked at the Princess, and she returned my look. We shrugged.

"That person is no longer around..." I finally said, "and with his passing, well, it gets way harder to tell many people."

Celestia looked at me with an eyebrow raised, "You know? About his..." the winged unicorn thought for a moment about what the right word would be to use, "...his resignation?"

I nodded to her, and then returned my attention to the Wonderbolts, "I really am sorry we can't tell you. I wish I could, but... well there are certain complications with telling people things they can't unhear. The story is just... its something we really can't tell."

And then I realized something. _Why is everyone who knows about the story so... apprehensive in telling others? We really haven't been told not to, I mean God told me to not tell people about his existence, but he... he really isn't even in the picture anymore. Still, its like there is a force telling me I can't do it... Why?_

I closed my eyes, "I really wish I could tell you, but really, it isn't something I can tell others. I wish I could, seeing as I owe you so much and all..."

Celestia spoke up, "I understand it is confusing, but I assure you, if there is anything else you need, let me know. I promise I will do my best to see it through, though there are limits to what I can and can't do at times," she turned her attention to me, "Leon, we'd better go ourselves. There's some business at Canterlot you need to take care of..."

I nodded with understanding.

Soarin' recovered before the rest of the Wonderbolts, "Do you know when the next date we're scheduled to perform at Canterlot, Princess Celestia?"

She had just been about to move the balloon, she turned and faced them, "Well you're more than welcome to visit whenever you want, but performance-wise, I think it is a week from now."

Soarin' looked at her, "Why not take Spitfire here with ya? She's got the stuff we're going to do down perfect anyways."

Spitfire slapped him in the shoulder, but then realized what he was trying to do. She wasn't the only one who really wanted to know what was wrong with me.

Both Celestia and I knew exactly what their motives were, but I shrugged, "I guess if it bothers you that much, I'll let you have your chance to figure it out on your own... as long as the Princess approves."

She sighed, but then smiled, "Fine, I guess you can tag along. All the guest rooms are taken up at the Castle though, so you're either going to need to share a room with one of the other guests or you're going to need to stay at an inn or hotel in town."

Spitfire smiled, "Well I guess I can deal with it, I'll change out of my uniform A.S.A.P.!" She took off towards another section of Cloudsdale, but I didn't know where, she was out of sight almost immediately.

"Let's get you to your ride, shall we? Just give me a moment." Princess Celestia gracefully glided over several clouds and disappeared out of sight.

The rest of the Wonderbolts looked at me one last time, and every single one said a form of "See ya later" to me and flew off for some more practice.

I sat there for a moment, but only a moment. Celestia had already returned, several royal guards had a flying chariot behind them, and Celestia was standing in it. They pulled up right next to the balloon, "Well? Hop in!" The princess called.

"I... okay." I grabbed the crown in the basket of the Balloon and hopped onto the Chariot. Her facial expression turned to one of surprise as I jumped onto the chariot.

"How did you get that? I thought..." She looked at me with shock. Then, upon closer inspection, she noted the difference of the two crowns. "Leon..."

I looked at her, "Yes Princess?"

"Oh... nothing. Your crown just intrigued me is all." She smiled, though a million thoughts as to where this had come from zoomed through her head.

"HEY! Don't leave without me!" Spitfire had already returned, a small suitcase in her hands for her week there. She zoomed right next to the chariot, "Sorry for the trouble Princess, I'll just fly behind you to Canterlot." She smiled.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds, God's Location-**

The area was a small plateau in the center of a lake of molten liquid that seemed to have a life of its ow, rising up around the area with unpredictable movements, though the plateau itself was never touched by the magma. In the center was a diamond table surrounded by 12 formless figures. On the table was Equestria's ex-god in his favorite form, that of the winged unicorn.

The Mysterious Figures spoke in unison, "So you have given up your rule? The land was destined to end, and you have interfered. Tell me one reason why we should keep Equestria, especially with no god. Its fate depends on your next words, so speak carefully."

God stood there, facing the scrutiny of these... these beings He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "This land, which I have seen grow from almost nothing, has become a place where love and joy has flourished. Balance, to you standing here, is the balance between Chaos and Harmony. Many of you believe war and evils are as part of a world's existence as is joy and happiness. I understand that. As judges of life and death, both of beings and worlds, I implore you to look beyond this black–and–white view of existence. Chaos is a lack of balance! Harmony, on the other hand is balance embodied! To ask of there being a balance between balance and no balance is an impossibility, even for you here today. I learned these things watching the world that took form below me." He closed his eyes, "You are all representative of a different aspect of existence. Life, Death, War, Peace, Hatred, Love, Truths, Lies, The Corporeal, The Spiritual, Sadness, and Joy." He reopened his eyes and with passion, began to raise his voice, "Prove to me that plunging a world to its destruction... that doing that would be balance in any way! Killing everyone would only be the opposite of Balance, it would be the embodiment of Chaos! It is worse than leaving it as is!"

He stood there, and as he did, two of the Mysterious Figures spoke up in their ethereal voices. "We are not destroying the plane of existence, you know that. Simply, we are purging it of all it once was and giving it a new beginning. You may, if you want, return to your rule after it is done. In all of the time you were the land's guardian, you obeyed us... until this most recent incident of course..."

"NO!" God yelled, "I refuse to sit by and watch this world be 'purged' as you so nicely put it!" His anger had taken a physical form, the diamond table, under his feet, cracked from the mysterious force that emanated from his body.

"Calm yourself, we are simply the judges of the world. You cannot override our decision. We must keep the balance of the worlds. Life must give way to death, it is an inevitable fate." Three other figures spoke.

"This is crap! Balance? BALANCE?" The god slammed the table with his hoof, it cracked even more, "I don't want to be a God of some land! Power! I will gladly relinquish that to save Equestria! I will not sit idly by and watch as Chaos rules. I have given them their opportunities in my land. I listened to you as you summoned Discord! As you corrupted Luna and forced her to become Nightmare Moon! I listened to you then! You fools! You are too narrow-minded to see the beauty that Equestria has become! You've been here too many millenia to remember why you came here! You all, even you Death!" His anger boiled over, and when he screamed the final word, the table under him, all except for the small section under his feet shattered into an innumerable amount of pieces.

The beings didn't react at all. They showed no sign of emotion. They hadn't in all of the eternities that they had ruled. "We will consider what you have to say... For now... begone." God's figure faded away, though where exactly to was a mystery.

**Okay, I'm a bit pressed for time, and the chapters just keep getting longer and longer don't they? I didn't get as much of a chance to proofread this chapter as I would have liked, but hey, I got OpenOffice to stop being stupid all the time. Please remember to review! Read on fellow bronies!**


	11. Chapter 11: A Division and a Reunion

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Twilight had just worked up the heart to open up the second page in the book. She sighed. What the page of the two crowns would say, she had no idea.

She turned the page and looked at it. Nothing. She stared and stared. Just like the last page, she was not getting anything from it. Ten minutes went by. Twenty. Thirty.

"It likes to mess with me doesn't it? Oh well." She got up and decided to take a break.

Behind her, the voice of God called out to her.

_I chose you two to be my proxies from the beginning. Do not think that because you exist, this land will be saved. I have vested my hope into this last gamble, and if I lose, I'm going to have to pay money I don't have._

_Twilight, I have given you the gift of magic, of good friends, and of a brilliant mind. I task you with this: Help Leon grow, as Celestia was your teacher, help Leon learn the ways of this world. Who knows?_

His voice paused, letting loose and audible laugh.

_Maybe this world has hope after all._

_...You only get one life in this world... but if live it right, you'll only need one..._

_And my message to you, Leon..._

**-Leon and Princess Celestia's Location-  
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I looked to the ground below me. It was no longer the cold, wintry environment that it had been. In fact, here, it was warm and summery, the trees below had bright green leaves, and there was a lake that glistened in the sun.

"So Leon, who exactly kidnapped you, and how did you escape?" The Princess looked at me and said. Spitfire was flying beside us at a leisurely pace.

"During the train ride, there were two involved. I'm guessing one stopped the train with explosives, the other was..." he looked beside him, Spitfire looked over, interested in this story as well.

The Princess spoke, "So? What about the tan earth pony Twilight said she saw. And wouldn't there have to be a third? She claimed to have been magically thrown against the wall when she was knocked out. That was confirmed by several other witnesses you know."

I looked directly at her. "The attendant wasn't a simple earth pony. She was the one who threw Twilight, I'm positive."

Celestia was confused, but didn't let it show on her face, "You know as well as I do it is impossible. The reason magic can be done is because of the horn, without it... an Earth pony is incapable of magic."

I looked at her, and said with a serious tone, "They weren't _just_ ponies, Celestia."

Spitfire looked over at me, jaw unconsciously open. I had just spoken to the ruler of Equestria, mentioned her name, and didn't even use her title. It was, to her, the pinnacle of disrespect to do such a thing. Close friends and family members? Maybe. A total moron that was in the middle of nowhere? Unacceptable.

"Leon! Are you a moron! Refer to the princess by her title!" Spitfire said in a way that gave off a hint of anger.

"Don't worry Spitfire." The princess laughed and looked at her, "Leon is a friend, and though he isn't used to some of the traditional customs, he's very important to Equestria. I really don't mind it anyways. A lot of the traditions get old after a while."

Spitfire looked at the kind, understanding being, and her face softened, "Sorry Leon, I guess I'm not used to people talking as if the Princess were an equal. Still, it would help if you referred to her as such."

I laughed. "Okay, _Miss_ Spitfire, I'll do my best. I never was one for formality among friends. I can't promise much though."

She rolled her eyes and flew on ahead. The princess turned her attention back to me, "So if they weren't Earth ponies, what does that mean? You know as well as I do changing from unicorn to another type of pony is a feat that has yet to be achieved. You can't be saying that..."

Her voice trailed off, "No, they haven't created a new spell. Let me give you a hint. When I came to, the tan mare who had kidnapped me was an winged unicorn, just like..."

She cut me off, finally understanding, "God was. So Gods were sent here... just for you?"

I nodded. There was a short pause before began to recite how I had escaped. Spitfire not listening at all, still peeved by the way a addressed the princess.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds- **

The figures stood there, apparently silent and dormant. In all honesty, they could communicate with each other in some form of higher plane.

The Mysterious Figure of Death spoke, "Hello Ace, Aria."

They materialized in front of the figures in the form of two beings of light.

Aria immediately bowed, Ace however, looked around. "Whoa, what happened to your table? Its wrecked."

The Figure of Truths responded to his question, even though it was rude. "The previous Guardian of Equestria destroyed it in his rage."

The Figure of War spoke to them, "My two favorite servants, this was your first time failing an assignment we have given to you. Explain yourselves."

Aria spoke up, "We were unprepared, the boy was deceivingly smart. We... we regrettably failed because of the fact we underestimated him."

"So while we have tasked you with the capture of countless other Gods, you failed in the detaining of a single mortal boy?" The Figures of the Spiritual, the Corporeal, and Peace projected their voices in unison.

Ace decided not to give excuses. He smiled. "I liked Leon, and to be honest, for the first time ever, I'm beginning to question why you chose to eliminate him. Let the place have its chance. It was fun as hell there, to be honest, and I've been to hell." He laughed a bit to himself, and Aria hit his side.

"Do you want our spiritual forms to get killed! Shut the hell up!" Aria whispered to Ace.

"Let him speak." The Figures all spoke in unison, except for the ones of Hatred, War and Death.

"I went to that world with a single mission, to find the boy Leon and end his life. It was easy enough to find him. Aria knocked him out, and we took him to a cave a decent distance from everywhere else. I remember, though, seeing several settlements. The joy, and peace... All of it. Honestly speaking, I really began to question what you guys were thinking, planning on destroying it. It had its own sense of, well, awesome. Still, I decided that you guys had it right and so we went and caught your man." He laughed, "Let me tell you, he's a tough nut to crack. Aria said we underestimated him. Well, when he decided to leave that cave, I wasn't messing around. I saw him dodge one of Aria's lances, and let me tell you, that kid could dodge. Him killing us wasn't a fluke. I really think that. Aria's sense of duty is clouding her memory."

The figures sat there. They had been discussing, in their plane, as to what to do. Not just the ruler of the realm, but a god, who was only there briefly, began to question their thoughts as well.

"It wasn't until then I really decided the land deserved a chance to live. I mean, if you've ever fought, you understand what I mean. Sometimes, when someone is facing what could be their last moments, and they are willing to fight for their life. When you cross swords with them. Sometimes you see their feelings deep inside them. He wasn't going to give up, he really, truly cared about the land he was in, even though you said he's only been there for a few days. I could tell. I get it now..."

His paused, his next words would ring throughout the figures' ears.

"I finally understand. You guys always obsess over a balance between harmony and chaos. I figured it out, though, when I saw this land and Leon. Harmony is the balance, and chaos... well, its not." He smiled, and in the most cocky fashion he could, he finished saying, "I'm sorry, but I've decided I'm not going to be your dog any more." He smiled.

They were silent, both in the audible plane, and the one which they communicated. They, each, shocked as to the last thing they had heard. When he spoke that last bit, they felt like they heard Equestria's previous Guardian speaking as well. Both men, essentially had said the same thing.

Aria looked down. She had always been the serious one, the observant one. The goofball Ace saw this? In such a short period of time?

The figures, these superior beings, turned to face her. The figures of Love, Death, and Hatred all spoke, "And what say you of the land? How did you see it? Do you believe in its worth?"

She froze, but before she could speak, two more spoke up, "She never paid attention to her surroundings, and this time was not an exception. She always has focused too much on her targets. Asking her is useless."

Another spoke up in the circle, "We may never know until we try."

Ace realized what was going on before Aria, though she soon followed suit. The Enigmatic Beings had stopped working in unison.

The lava around the plateau began to become even more volatile than before. Amidst the argument, that was taking place not in the higher realm, they heard the beings say, though not nearly in sync as they normally were, "Begone!" Both deities faded into nothingness.

**-The Land of Eden-**

They reformed in a beautiful garden that seemed to expand indefinitely, trees and flowers perfectly planted, walkways and hedges lining where one should walk.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Equestria's God spoke up from behind them. They turned to face him. He smiled, "So you were the two who were sent after Leon... How did it go?"

Ace shrugged, "I guess you were right about Equestria after all, your little agent showed me that. I dunno what you said to the Figures, but whatever it was, they were off guard, and I think I just tipped them over the edge."

God laughed, he had talked with Ace before, and had spoken about his world. Ace finally witnessed what he had meant, and Ace had to agree.

Aria, however, was serious, "What are you two talking about? Idiots! The Figures, they're arguing! You two killed their eternal order! This... it is unacceptable!"

God smiled, "They never had order, it was always an illusion." Ace nodded. Aria was immediately disarmed, she looked to the ground.

"I suppose we might have gone a bit overboard. Right?" Ace asked.

"We didn't plan this, they brought it upon themselves. Being stagnant is a dangerous thing to do when everything around you is changing," God closed his eyes, "Things aren't going my way today, are they?"

"Yeah, Eden always has been a deceivingly beautiful prison. A punishment disguised as a reward." Ace smiled.

**-Canterlot Castle, Twilight's Room-**

Twilight just heard God's message to Leon.

_And my message to you, Leon..._

_Your cutie mark is your destiny. Show Equestria the Light, Leon. That is how you will win this chess match. The King is Equestria, the King is Twilight, The King is You. Show the world you have what it takes to get a Checkmate._

The voice died down. Twilight turned back to the book. Two sentences adorned the page:

_Leon, unlike me, you aren't just a bystander. You are the player._

A wind blew from nowhere, and a new page appeared. Twelve formless figures were sitting around a diamond table, on a plateau surrounded by lava.

"What is this?" She walked up to the book and sat down to observe the page.

**-Canterlot Castle Entrance-**

I walked up towards the entrance of the castle with the Princess, Spitfire, and my crown on my back. All of the guards near the entrance bowed as we approached, no doubt to their princess.

"Welcome back, may I take your luggage?" A single male blue earth pony came up to us.

Spitfire responded positively, giving her suitcase to the assistant. Celestia smiled as Twilight's friends came out of the castle.

"Hey everyone!" I waved as they came out. Their faces all lit up.

"Leon!" They all ran up to me and did a giant group hug. I smiled, these ponies were amazingly friendly, Twilight was lucky to have friends like these.

"We were just about to head to town, what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Then, from behind me, I heard Spitfire speak up. "Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked up and squealed in joy. "Spitfire? From THE Wonderbolts? YEEEEEEEEE!" She was so happy.

Celestia smiled, "Spitfire will be staying here for a week, but since all of you are taking up the guest rooms she's going to need to share with somep-"

"ME! She can share a room with me!" Rainbow Dash had jumped upon the opportunity before anyone else could.

Spitfire laughed, "Why not?" Everyone joined in with her laughter.

We all sat around and talked for a while.

"I'm going to check on Twilight okay? Princess Celestia, where would I find her?" I spoke up as we entered the castle. She smiled and gave me directions to her room. "Everyone, I'll see you in a bit!"

I walked down the hallway and looked for the corridor near the library, where Celestia said Twilight's room was.

Finally, I found it, I knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" I heard on the other side of the door. I opened it and entered. Twilight was sitting there, and without even looking up from her book, began to speak, "Welcome back Princess Celestia! I figured out what the second page, the one with the crowns says, and another one just showed u-"

I stood in the doorway. "Twilight, I know how much we look alike, but I'll never be Princess Celestia." I chuckled lightly.

She froze and slowly looked up from her book to me. Tears were in her eyes. "Leon? I thought.. I thought..." She smiled, tears of joy streaming from her eyes as she got up. She ran to me, and immediately, we were in each other's embrace.

Home is where the Heart is.

I was home again.

* * *

><p><strong><span>I didn't publish a chapter yesterday due to the fact I worked ALL DAY. I honestly feel like this chapter wasn't as good as the others, a<span>nd I've been groggy all day, but here it is anyways. Oh well. Let me know what you suggest in the reviews. Read on fellow Bronies!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Last Figure

**-Canterlot Castle-**

My normal fur color is black. If you add another color to black, it tends to stay black. I wish that rule of art still applied now.

We had sat down and Twilight had shown me the book she was looking at. It really was interesting, The King, but only because of how peculiar it was. I kept wondering how it came to be, such a magical book. I had read God's message to me, she had shown me the page with the two crowns first. I was surprised when I first saw it, and then noticed beside her bed was a crown identical to mine. I looked at her seriously, but with a slight smil. She was oblivious, so I let my question pass.

Then she turned the page and I read the words that appeared and disappeared.

Anyways, about my fur color. Well, I was still black. Except for my face. That... well, that was red. Really red. I mean really, really red.

_I want to protect you, Twilight._

"I... err... uuh..." I stuttered as I thought of what to say to her. I had known her for only two days before I had been kidnapped, and here this book was, telling her, without my express permission, that she was the most important thing to me in this world. I mean, most of the first day I was angry at her.

Twilight laughed, covering her mouth with her hoof. Obviously a habit she got from her mentor. She spoke up, "It's okay. I cried too... when you were kidnapped... I mean, I really let you down..."

I looked at her and smiled, "It wasn't something that was controllable. It was a lot of luck that got me out of the situation."

When I had arrived, I really had focused on what she was doing, she didn't know what I had been through, at the moment, I really was interested in this book. She had explained how it worked, or what she knew about it, and so I really hadn't talked about my events.

She looked at me, "So how did you get away, and who was it that kidnapped you?"

I recounted the story once again, then there was a knock at the door right before I spoke about entering God's realm and finding it empty. A guard entered with my crown. Twilight opened her eyes, wider than before, then turned to me in realization of where the "duplicate" had originated.

"Leon. Twilight." The guard said matter-of-factly, "Someone is here to see you."

Me and Twilight wondered who it could be, faced each other, and shrugged. We walked out the door.

**-Rainbow Dash's Room-**

Spitfire had just gotten settled in and decided she would go to the castle library. She wasn't one for reading, but she hoped there would be hints as to who Leon really was. Rainbow Dash looked over at her.

"So what are the Wonderbolts up to right now?" she asked her hero.

Spitfire paused, she had only spoken a little to Rainbow Dash, and she had felt bad for being zoned out. Her snooping could wait. She had a week after all. She sat down on a pillow, facing the direction of her biggest fan, and smiled. "We've been practicing really hard for one of our biggest shows this year. It's going to be here, in 1 week. She smiled. Canterlot is hosting the event after all! Both Princesses will be there, so we have to be at the top of our game!"

"Wait... but aren't you going to be here for a week, how will you practice?" Rainbow Dash was concerned, "What if you mess up?"

Spitfire laughed, "Look, I know what we're going better than any other pony on the team. I actually designed a decent portion of the performance, so I not only know my part, but everyone else's. I'm sure it will all work out, and I can always practice on my own."

"C-can I help if you do?" Rainbow Dash idolized the Wonderbolts, it was obvious. Spitfire smiled and assured that if she was going to practice, Rainbow Dash would be welcome to join.

"YYYEEESSSSSSSSS!" Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof as a sign of personal victory.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could show me that Sonic Rainboom later, it IS the one thing we Wonderbolts have failed at doing time and again..." Spitfire said to flatter her fan, but even if it was said to flatter, that didn't mean it wasn't true.

They talked for a while about flying, but then Rainbow Dash decided to change the subject. Something seemed odd about Spitfire's presence at the Castle.

"So what are you doing here anyways. Wouldn't it be better to be practicing with your team? I mean, I know you already have it down, but wouldn't it still be better?"

Spitfire smiled, "Well I found Leon north of Cloudsdale a bit before practice. There had been rumors going around that someone was missing from the train, and he fit the description. I got someone to contact the princess, and Leon let me join him here."

"But still," Rainbow Dash decided to interrogate further out of curiosity, "Why'd you choose to tag along with Leon and the Princess? Do ya like him or something?"

Spitfire shook her head and laughed, "No, nothing like that. I've been curious as to where he's from and how he got that crown. The entire team is, but he and Princess Celestia refuse to tell me the story. So Leon said I could join and get a chance to figure out what is up with him. You wouldn't know, would you?"

Though Rainbow did know, and she was really, really tempted to not disappoint her hero, she looked Spitfire right in the eyes. "I really wish I could tell you, but Leon is a friend, and if he wants to keep it a secret, well... I guess I can't say it either. Loyalty is something that comes first, no matter what." She was the Element of Loyalty, ad she was determined to live up to that.

Spitfire was upset, to be sure, but she smiled at Rainbow Dash's kindness towards Leon. She had respected his wishes, so to be angry at Rainbow Dash would be unfair. She smiled, "I'm glad you're loyal to your friends Rainbow Dash. Join me later and we'll do some flight practice okay?" She walked out of the door, waving with a wing. When the door closed, the last thing she saw was Rainbow Dash leaping up in the air in joy.

**-Twilight's Room-**

Luna was there, and when we walked out, she immediately circled around me. "Hmm, so you are the one they call Leon. Correct?"

I smiled, "Yes, and who might you b... Oh!" The truth dawned on me mid-sentence and I bowed as quickly as I could.

She laughed, "We're flattered that you show me this kind of respect. We heard all about you from my sister and Twilight, you need not bow to us. We are just curious as to the kind of pony that God chose to be his ambassador for this land."

I smiled, taking note of her use of the royal 'we', "I'm quite flattered that the Mistress of the Night would pay so much attention to someone as small as me."

Luna laughed, "Don't try to kiss up to us, we know better than that."

The guard who had called us to the door handed us the two crowns. "We haven't seen either of you wear those yet, aren't they beautiful. Why don't you show them to us."

"Actually, Princess, the reason you haven't seen me wear it is because, well, I really haven't done it yet. I just feel like I shouldn't do that to the crown. I really feel like it isn't mine, and to wear a crown like this? I feel like that would be disrespectful to you and your sister as well." Twilight spoke.

I smiled, "I haven't worn mine either, except for the time Spitfire threw it on my horn, but I don't think that counts. Wearing it just feels _wrong._"

Luna smiled, "Oh well, we were looking forward to it, but I suppose we must go on without seeing it. Leon, there is one other thing we think you should be shown."

She led me to her sister's room. I looked at the balcony, and though I had not seen God in the form of a Pony, I understood instantly who it was. "So, this is where he is?"

Luna nodded, "We thought to let you know, seeing as... well..."

I smiled, "Thank you, you're a very kind Princess. I really think that Equestria is in good hands with you two in charge."

Luna blushed from the compliment and tried to cover it with a hoof, "Why thank you Leon. We need to go do some work around the castle, we shall be in the gardens if needed."

We smiled as Luna left the room.I turned to face the marble body of God. "He certainly knows how to leave an impression, doesn't he?"

"Yeah..." Twilight had spoken softly with a sad smile, "He really does..."

I would miss the guy. I really would.

I walked up and stood next to the statue. I looked out into the sky. I didn't know why, but I really felt as if we had hope, we had a chance.

"Twilight..." I said aloud.

She had looked at me, but was silent.

"I really do love this place. You know that? Equestria, it just feels right. I won't fail at whatever it is God wants me to do."

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds- **

The Figures were arguing.

The Lava had now risen to a level almost has high as the plateau itself. It had begun to even consume sections of the plateau, through the figures were unfazed. There were six deities on each side of the argument. Should Equestria live or die. One side argued in favor of keeping it.

"There is a right for them to continue to exist! Even our agents that are sent there are finding it the perfect world. It may not be what we had once thought, but the utopia we had sought ages to find is here, and yet all you think of is its destruction!"

On this side were the Figures of Truths, Life, The Spiritual, Peace, Love, and Joy.

The other side also presented an argument.

"This world is an abomination! We know our utopia! Chaos and Harmony is a balance that CAN be struck. You are trusting those below us to know what a perfect world is? This is idiotic! We have ruled for longer than many of them have existed! We have granted them the chance to become more than the simple mortal! Destroy the world so it may one day reform and have a chance at becoming the land we had always sought!

This side comprized of the Figures of Death, War, Hatred, The Corporeal, Lies, and Sadness. They obviously had the upper hand. However, the rage on both sides would not subside.

Lava rose, consuming the entire platform. All of the beings stood upon the lava, ignoring the heat. Neither side would continue arguing over what was correct and what was not. This was a matter over finding the ultimate Utopia. The goal they had longed to reach since their birth.

The anger on both sides escalated... Soon, there was bloodshed. While a lesser being cannot kill a spirit. Figures were the ultimate life forms. They had the ability of no other being. They could end another Figure's life. The lava became a battleground, but soon enough a victor was decided.

A single Figure towered as the lone survivor. The Figure of War.

**-The Land of Eden-**

"Checkmate" God spoke. He had defeated Ace in a chess match with a board they had conjured.

Ace shrugged, "You always were better than me weren't you? I may be an avid fan of the game, but you're just crazy at times. I thought I was going to win when you sacrificed you queen for a knight, but you just took control of the entire game when you did it."

God chuckled, "I never make a move I'm not sure won't bring me closer to winning. Remember that Ace," he stood up and continued, "Aria, Ace. I think it's time we go."

Aria looked at him, she was unnaturally quiet. Secretly though, she had come to terms with the fact that these two beings who radiated an aura of not caring were actually extremely observant and knowledgeable about the worlds around them. She sighed, knowing what God had meant.

"So we're going to go rogue?" Ace laughed, "You lead and I'll follow."

Aria just changed her mind, these two were idiots after all, "You're up against impossible odds, are you really going to risk your immortality to save this one world? Idiots. In fact, you guys are going to fail. I'm 100% sure of it that both of you are just throwing away your god status."

"Does it look like we care Aria?" Ace looked at her, half smiling, "You have always been oblivious to the situation. The Figures are idiots, they aren't going to make a decision until it's too late."

"He's right, either that or they're going to make the wrong one. We'll need to make another audience with them to conv..." God paused.

God frowned, "Looks like the problem isn't going to be changing the figures' minds anymore."

Ace looked at him, they had both understood what had happened. The consensus was reached sooner than either had expected. Though several of the Figures opposed it, they were the minority. The figures had announced their decision. If Leon succeeded in his task, Equestria was going to be purged.

Aria stopped short. She heard a command from the Figure she had know the most. "I am the last remaining Figure. I am now alone as the being who will decide the fate of every world. Aria. I command you. Kill _them._"

She knew who he was talking about. Ace and God.

Neither knew of this secret communication. Aria made up her mind wile god was still talking.

"The problem is going to be fighting an army." He finished his sentence.

Aria approached them. They looked up.

"Draw your Weapons."

* * *

><p><strong>I seem to be having less and less time to write recently, so I may not be able to update daily. Especially with school starting up again soon and things like that getting in the way. I hope you guys don't mind that. Life sucks doesn't it. let me know what you guys think in the reviews!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13: The Proxy's Repose

**-Canterlot Castle-**

I left Twilight in her room and walked down the hallway. We had decided to get sleep after all that had happened. Princess Celestia had said that all the rooms were taken, so I decided the best thing to do was to head to town and find a place to stay.

"I was instructed to escort you when decide to leave the castle." A single guard spoke to me when I went to the entrance. I sat there, with enemies like mine, he wouldn't make a difference. I shook my head.

"No thank you, I think that being inconspicuous would be better. Tell Princess Celestia that I respectfully decline her offer." The guard stood firm, "I wasn't instructed by either princess. I was instructed by ..." He hadn't quieted down, but for some odd reason, the last word came out as jumbles. I didn't understand what he said. However, the guard next to him didn't react. They seemed content with whatever he had said.

"E-excuse me, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat what you said?"

"I said, I was instructed by ..." I shook my head, it had happened again.

All of a sudden, time froze around me. All of the guards around us that were pacing slowed to a halt mid-step.

The guard sprinted towards me. "You never know when your life will be threatened after all..." He was on top of me before I could move, his wings were razor sharp, one grazed my side as I tried to sidestep. He was faster than I was, easily. I spun around to face him, he had gone right past me and I needed to see where he was.

"Who are you?" I saw his flank. His cutie mark was unusual, different from any other. His cutie mark moved. I saw a blade, and surrounding it were flames, leaping up around it.

"I am the one you cannot defeat. I am the controller of all worlds. The last Figure. You are in a doomed world." He changed forms. He became a formless mass. "I am …..."

I clutched my head with my hooves. Why couldn't I hear his name! He laughed a low, malevolent laugh. "I was one of twelve figures. I am the Figure of War. We figures are rulers which spent an eternity creating the perfect world. An unmatched balance between Chaos and Harmony. I knew, however, that a world with that balance isn't a utopia. Not for me. A world of destruction, of hatred. A world of _War._ That is my dream. Now that I am the last remaining master, all are under my sole command."

I looked at him. He was different. He radiated with a power that went far beyond that of even God's. He was a being I knew that I would not be able to defeat. Still, that is what I had thought about Ace and Aria. I looked at him and asked a single question. "Explain to me why your name is so difficult to hear, enigmatic solider."

"Mortal, you cannot hear something as powerful as this, these are words not even Gods can comprehend, not to mention someone as low and weak as you. Consider me the Figure of War..." He laughed.

I closed my eyes. I would need a lot more than luck and skill to live through this.

I needed a miracle...

… A miracle I wouldn't get.

**-The Land of Eden-**

Aria's Lances were directed at God and Ace.

God sighed, "So what did _they_ tell you? Were you asked to assassinate us? What's the reward? Extra power or something."

Aria looked at them sternly, "This is the command of the Last Figure."

The normally laid-back Ace got up from the ground. His voice deepened, he had become extremely serious, which even served to intimidate Aria, "So you've decided to follow this command? I assume it must be the Figure of War. Am I correct? So the others, are they dead?"

Aria stood her ground. She heard a voice in her head, "Aria, I hereby grant you the power of a deceased figure. Use it to defeat these fools. Do away with them and come to the land of Equestria. Your limits have bee lifted." She felt a surge of power flow through her, and both of the other beings sensed it.

She smiled, "Yes, the Figure of War has ended the lives of the other Figures. The others are dead. I have the express orders to end your life."

God laughed and relaxed again.

"So he's gifted you with the power of a figure?" God stood up. He smiled, "So are you going to show us a demonstration?" Ace looked over to God.

"Oh course I will," Aria smiled.

The summoned lances lunged forward towards Ace and God. Ace went to summon fourth his swords, but he didn't have a chance to react. God, however, stood there calmly with a smile on his face. The lances flew by them harmlessly. Ace paused. "W-what? What just happened. I thought she was going to fight us!"

Behind them, a single high-pitched note pierced the air. The lances had struck the ground equidistant from each other and the area between them began to glow a bright white. God spun around and began walking towards the lances and Aria began to follow him. Ace was confused as could be, "Hey guys, what just happened? I.,.. What..."

Aria walked up next to him, "We're going to Equestria. I can revive our bodies. I don't let down my partner, and last time I checked, you're my partner, right?" She kissed him on the cheek and went ahead, "That's for the cave, when Leon beat us."

God smiled as Ace rubbed his cheek. He was confused, Aria was definitely not herself. Still, if she was willing to kiss him, he could get used to it. He blushed a little.

"He placed the essence of the Figure of Love into Aria. I'm sure it was a mistake, but he's screwed up. Big time. Even the Figure of War didn't realize the host of the essence gets some of the previous host's personality." God laughed as he walked through the gateway that Aria's Lances had created, "He probably thought that giving her this spirit would be safe, seeing as she rarely had show emotion before and, you know as well as I do, she was devoted to that Figure. I told you the figures were stupid, they can't even remember how they themselves work."

He smiled as his and Aria's forms were consumed in light, he shrugged and joined them. With a bright flash, all three disappeared, leaving the Land of Eden once and for all.

**-Canterlot Castle, Frozen Time-**

The Figure of War stood in front of me, as flashes of light seemed to appear from nowhere, small cuts appearing as I managed to barely dodge most of the strikes. I had no idea what to do, I could not ignore these strikes, and it would be impossible to hurt him. All of my possible rescuers were frozen in time, and I had no resources to speak of.

The Figure was standing there, seemingly doing nothing as I dodged for my life, "You know, war is magnificent. The adrenaline you must be feeling. A wonderful ending to a would-be hero. Don't you think?" He laughed a deep-low laugh, though only briefly, "You cannot dodge these strikes forever. Prove to me you are more than this."

A good thirty solid beams of light formed around me in a circle, each about 10 meters away from me. As quickly as they had materialized, the began to close around me. Still dodging the flashes, I leapt through a gap in the beams and began to sprint. Behind me, the beams had enclosed into a small explosion. I began to run towards the castle, jumping sliding, rolling, and everything I could to avoid the attacks. "Just maybe..." I ran into the entrance, up the staircase, and around the corner. The figure was already there. I continued anyways. Taking lefts and rights to see if I could lose myself in the maze that was the castle. Nothing. I was tired, weak, and this attacker was relentless. Soon, I had nowhere else to go.

"Goodbye Leon. Toying with you was quite entertaining, but now this world must end, as all things do." I found my body being lifted up into the air. I couldn't breathe, I was beginning to go limp.

_No... Not yet... No..._

My body went limp. The figure smiled at my body, and as one last act, threw my body through the wall of the castle into the gardens.

"Stay dead." He remarked matter-of-factly, though he was secretly smiling on the inside.

**-Canterlot Castle Entrance-**

The guards had seen me about to leave the castle. They stood still, and then saw me turn around.

"What's he doing talking to nobody?" Two guards whispered to each other. Almost immediately, there was a white light that engulfed the entire front of the castle. Every guard went flying. All of the residents of the castle heard the explosion. The castle flew into a panic almost instantly.

"Call the hospital, several guards are injured!" Princess Celestia had immediately responded to the commotion and was trying to regain order. Servants and Guards alike rushed around the castle, wondering what had happened and if it would happen again.

**-Canterlot Gardens-**

Luna was watering some of the plants outside in the castle gardens. She saw a bright light rise up in the air accompanied by a large boom. She was about to leave the gardens to see what had occurred when above her she heard a crash.

The wall of the castle, a sturdy foot of marble in the location, shattered. She jumped back, wondering what had caused it, and then she saw it. My lifeless form flying through the air. She gasped and ran over to me. "Leon! LEON!"

My body landed on the ground near the fountain. I had many small cuts covering my body, and I wasn't breathing.

Three guards rounded the corner to the entrance of the garden. "Princess Luna, an attack at the front gate just occurred and Leon has gone mis-" They paused mid-sentence at the lifeless form in front of the now-weeping princess of the night.

The commanding officer of the group turned to them. "Well don't just stand there, one of you inform Princess Celestia! The other get some medical help here! This pony is way worse off than any of the other guards!"

**-The Collapsed Cave That Leon had Been Imprisoned in-**

Ace and Aria reformed in front of the cave, both now in the forms of the same alicorns they had been when they died there.

Ace looked at his partner, "I kinda forgot where we are..."

Aria rubbed her head, "I... I sorta did too..."

Ace and Aria both stood there for a moment, then Ace finally spoke up, "Well crap."

**-Celestia's Balcony-**

The Marble began to crack, and parts of it began to fall off, revealing God from within the statue. "Well it's nice to be home..." He stretched his wing before looking out of the balcony. However, he saw a scene in the gardens that he didn't exactly care for.

"... Shit." He lost his composure, below him was a grieving Luna and a lifeless me.

He jumped off of the balcony. "Luna!" He cried out. She spun around, tears in her eyes, not knowing how to react.

"G-god?" She spun around, having a peculiar mix of sadness and joy in her voice.

A guard that was previously unseen shouted at God, "Who are you! Step away from the Princess!" God spun around, normally an understanding being, he had finally begun to panic. His trump card, me, was dead.

Luna spoke up before God could say anything he would regret, "He's a friend, don't worry. I'll be fine here. Please get Twilight!"

The officer ran off to find the person he was assigned to retrieve.

God looked down at the crying princess as he himself closed his eyes.

"It looks like the game has ended, even before the beginning. Hasn't it?" He said solemnly as he lowered his head.

"I know how much you like games. So the only thing left to say is 'checkmate.'" A voice came from behind them. God spun around and Luna turned her head.

Standing there was the Last of the 12 figures.

"So you did this..." God summoned fourth his weapons, scythes of unmatched beauty. The handles themselves were not simple rods, but instead elegantly weaving metals creating designs more complex than those of any normal being. There were six, each based around a different color. At the end of each shaft were the cutie marks of six ponies. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and of course Twilight.

"Your Elements have always been a formidable weapon, but you know as well as I do you cannot defeat me, even with such cheap tricks. I know not how you escaped from Aria or Eden, but I intend to remedy the situation right now." The Figure prepared his assault.

God merely smiled, "I have a few 'tricks' that not even you know of. I suggest you prepare yourself."

Princess Celestia had just entered the area in a panic, along with Twilight Sparkle. The first thing both beings noticed was God, surrounded by six scythes.

Twilight mumbled in awe, "The elements..." However, her attention was short-lived, she immediately turned to the scared princess of the night.

"Princess, over here!" She called over. The guards had not told her of Leon's condition, she only knew that the Princess needed her presence. She was also standing in a position where I was not visible to Twilight.

She noticed tears in Luna's eyes, and as Luna moved to get away from the fight, she understood why.

"LEON!" Her eyes began to fill up herself, she went to run out to my body.

Celestia stopped her with a wing, her face was fixated on the fight that had commenced between the two gods.

Luna magically levitated my limp body with her as she stumbled away from the fight, tears covering her face. She stumbled next to her sister and my body dropped to the floor.

"How..." the Princess of the Sun spoke, just as she noticed the gaping hole in the wall, "No..."

Twilight ran to my body after it was a safe distance from the fight, right before collapsing in grief.

Meanwhile, the two gods clashed with such power. Celestia knew there was only one thing she could do. She moved to the front of the castle, and began giving orders to the royal guard, warning them that the gardens were off-limits to even them. She organized a city-wide evacuation.

The reason for it would never be made public.

Spitfire had watched in awe from the sky as the two deities clashed. She had to do something, but she didn't know what. She sighed. "Who are they?"

Rainbow Dash spotted her, "Hey Spitfire! We need help down here evacuating the town!"

The castle itself shook from each strike that God and the Figure threw at each other.

**-God's Domain- **

I looked into the darkness. The floor was there, as was the fireplace. The chess set and window were there along with the table and couch. However, there was a major difference. I was a pony, not a human.

I stood there, and I realized how cold I was. I walked over to the fire, however it also offered nothing. With nothing else that I could do, I decided to curl up on the couch into a ball and watch the chess game unfold.

The chess board was oddly set up. However, two pieces on the white side wore crowns. _Me and Twilight?_ A piece cracked and light came from inside as it crumpled. It was not only interesting in that it had reacted differently from the other pieces, but also because no other piece had taken it.

Then, in its place, was a black king.

Behind me a voice called out, "Looks like you lose. However, this place is not a safe-haven either. I see you've witnessed me 'replacing you' with my own presence."

I spun around. The Figure of War stood next to me. He was in the form of a red-cloaked human surrounded by light. I could not see his face, for a hood obscured the view.

So that is what I had witnessed... My own death and his appearance into the world.

A second chess set appeared. It floated above the other chess set. The black king stood in the same spot on both. However, on this board, only one other piece existed. A pawn. Me.

The king immediately moved and snuffed out the pawn. I looked forward, and this god was already on me.

Nobody to save me, I saw everything that had happened flash through my eyes, only moments before he was going to strike me.

Then, as I had lost all hope, the miracle I had asked for, before my death in Equestria, finally occurred. This being had moved to strike me down with a beam of yellow light when it was deflected by a Lance. He leaped backwards as a sword narrowly missed him ad his robes.

"Sorry we're late. Scratch that, sorry we tried to kill you earlier." Ace did a small laugh as Aria stood between me and the Figure.

"What are you doing Aria!" The figure screamed out in anger.

Ace stood up and faced the figure. "She chose to think for herself."

The chess set above changed. The pawn sprung back to life and crossed the board as several other pieces, a bishop and a knight, came to my rescue.

I closed my eyes. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that I had to DO something. "How can I help?"

"The best thing you can do..." Ace attacked the Figure, which swiftly dodged to the side.

"Is to get back to Equestria!" Aria yelled.

The figure swiftly dodged the duo that had previously been my enemy. He sprinted at me swiftly and with grace. A beam of light was in both hands, which were trailing behind the rest of his body.

"DIE!" He yelled.

Aria and Ace looked on, incapable of stopping the figure with his extreme speed.

I looked to the chess board, and remembered God's last message to me. _T__he eternal game of chess __will always be played. And as long as it will be played, it will never be understood._

And yet, as I stood there. As I looked to the chess board, something dawned on me. It was trying to tell me something.

God was wrong.

I understood.

_..Leon, unlike me, you aren't just a bystander. You are the player. _

I braced myself for the oncoming attacker. I wasn't going to lose this fight.

I couldn't afford to.

* * *

><p><strong><span>I know this chapter was a bit more violent than the rest. Please forgive me,<span> I promise all will turn out okay. I've been super busy, but this story is just so addicting to write. Thanks for all of your reviews, they really do make my day. It's really nice hearing all of the positive compliments I am getting from all of you. The negative is just as appreciated. I want to make this story enjoyable for you guys after all!  
><strong>

**Read on fellow bronies!**


	14. Chapter 14: War's Final Stand

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Luna and Twilight watched in awe as the two beings clashed. The Figure of War was an unstoppable force on the battlefield, as could be told by his name, yet for some reason, this opponent refused to yield to his onslaught.

"Your skill is something to be proud of, Ex-God of Equestria!" The Figure of War did not even have this much trouble with the Figures themselves, he was actually impressed by this deity's power. Shockwaves rippled from the weapons and beams of light whenever they made contact, and the castle walls began to crumple from their force.

The battle had been ongoing for several hours now, yet neither side seemed to be giving. Their infinite stamina and skills in war both prevented either side from gaining the upper hand, but the Figure smiled. He wasn't giving this fight his all. He couldn't. However, as soon as he took Leon's life as a spirit, he would easily be able to defeat this rebel God.

"You're holding back... No... something is keeping you preoccupied. What would cause you to devote even a minute amount of your attention away from me." God rushed in towards the figure, sweeping with a few of his scythes. The figure deftly jumped backwards, and though the scythes had merely cut through air, the ground near where they had passed was scarred from the strike. He was evenly matched with the figure at this point, but he knew that the figure would normally be able to defeat him effortlessly.

"Your boy, Leon. I simply have located his spirit. He'll be erased soon enough." The Figure of War smiled as God had a moment of surprise. This was the Figure's chance to get the upper hand. He had actually needed it as he had begun to lose some of his control over the fight. He took the opportunity and pounced.

The attack the Figure unleashed was relentless. God found himself cornered almost immediately by the barrage of blows that were unleashed, it was all he could do to guard from the attacks. Eventually, one hit its mark. Twilight and Luna watched in horror as a single beam of light pierced through God's chest. The figure stopped attacking as God fell to the ground. He was alive, but only just. He laid on the ground, trying everything he could to move. He couldn't.

"And now it is Leon's Turn." The figure laughed and looked to the sky."I'll kill you, but only after you have witnessed all of your plans fail."

He ignored the two other ponies who had watched this fight in horror.

"Luna... please keep Leon safe..." Twilight got up, somehow finding strength within her to keep trying. She knew all of these ponies gave it their all to protect Equestria, now it was her turn.

She ran through the remains of the castle into the room Celestia had always kept the Elements of Harmony, the seal guarding them was all but destroyed from the battle that had just taken place. She climbed over what rubble was there and located the box. Inside, in pristine condition, were the Elements of Harmony.

"I need to get the others." She turned to run to where the town was evacuated, but she stopped.

"We're already here." Rainbow Dash smiled as the other ponies showed themselves.

**-A distance from Cantlerlot-**

Spitfire watched in awe as explosions of bright light filled the sky over Canterlot. She was watching with the rest of the frightened residents of Canterlot. She knew she could do nothing to help, but she zoomed off towards the castle anyways. The citizens were evacuated and the guard kept them from returning, but Spitfire had assisted them and she was a Wonderbolt. They let her pass without any hassle.

Then off in the distance, she saw something. Ursa Majors... dragons... Every being of absolute horror that Equestria contained seemed to be marching towards Canterlot.

"I... I have to warn the Princess!" She flew even faster than before.

**-Canterlot Castle Entrance-**

The Princess of the Sun had done what was needed, the town was safely evacuated, the Elements of Harmony were safe, and she herself was the last being in the area, aside from a few trusted, elite guardsmen.

"Princess Celestia! Princess!" Spitfire stumbled into the area. The guard surrounding the princess immediately became prepared to strike if need be. Celestia assured them that Spitfire was a friend.

"I... I saw... Ursa... Ursa M- Majors and Dragons! They're headed toward Canterlot!" The guard audibly gasped and the Princess seemed as if she were physically struck by the words.

"What! That's unheard of! Ursa Majors and Dragons are solitary creatures, there can't be more than one!" She paused and spoke in an almost whisper to herself, "Then again... all of the things that seemed impossible to me have come true these past few days..." She closed her eyes and heard a voice. Twilight heard it at the same time as she did.

"The Chess Match has begun."

**-God's Domain-**

I faced the figure that was charging at me with full speed spoke aloud to him.

"I've lost my life. I didn't fight for it like I should have." I spoke aloud to him as he rushed towards me.

The figure didn't react as he swung with his beams of light. I leaped over him, flipping forwards in the process and grabbing his hood with my hooves. He looked shocked as to what had happened. The king moved across the board, and as it began to take my pawn, my piece changed. I was now a Queen, the most powerful piece.

"But I sure as hell won't give you my death too!" I surged forward and pierced his back with my horn. I heard a gasp as the light around him faded and the figure dropped to his knees.

"Aria, Now!" Three lances flew towards the figure at lightning fast speed.

"No need..." The figure spoke aloud. The lances stopped midflight.

"The power of a figure is all that is needed to kill you! Tell us why we don't need to do this!" Ace shouted at him, through it was totally unnecessary to.

"Because, I'm already dead..." With that, the body went limp and slumped to the floor. Both Ace and Aria looked at me with complete shock.

"Figures aren't supposed to be able to die from mortals..." Aria looked at me, a slight amount of fear in her eyes. "Who are you!" she suddenly yelled at me.

I really wish I had the answer to that question. Ace smiled. "Whatever Aria, he's on our side right? Get him back to Equestria."

I took a last look at the dead Figure, I was shocked to see his body slowly fading into the darkness. Aria's horn glowed and the door rematerialized. Etched on it was God's message: _"To the next guardian of Equestria, I wish you good luck." _

"Remember he isn't dead yet." Aria said to me as I began to walk towards the door. I turned and looked back at her with confusion obviously written on my face.

"He's only half-dead. You just killed part of him, the part he sent to end you. He's still in Equestria. We'll meet you wherever you are. Canterlot, right?" I nodded.

Ace laughed, "You have no idea how much hell it took for us to get here. Aria, revive the kid."

Aria's horn glowed once again and I felt myself feel surrounded by warmth. "Try not to die this time."

I smiled, "I probably will anyways."

I walked through the door as the last traces of the figure finally dissolved into darkness.

The top chessboard faded, leaving only the bottom behind it. A new game had started, but the black king was still there.

I opened my eyes, and all I felt was pain. Severe pain.

I saw Luna, who was staring at God's body. He looked to be in pain, he couldn't move. Standing above him was the one I had just killed. However, he seemed to not be celebrating his victory. He actually seemed in pain. I heard him cry out. "AARGH!"

I knew why, half of him had just died. Luna looked over to me and gasped as she fell over.

"Leon!" She said it quietly, but she smiled a huge smile.

I smiled weakly. "...hey..."

She looked over me. "Your cuts... they're gone! And it looks like you're perfectly fine!" She was trying to avoid the attention of the Figure who was still recoiling in pain.

"I don't feel fine to tell you the truth." I felt in pain, my body was throbbing as I was unable to move.

"Let's see if I can help." Luna's horn began to glow

Just then her a voice stopped her, quietly and sternly. "No, his bones are reforming. It hurts like no tomorrow, but if you try to stop the pain, you'll end up slowing his recovery." It was Aria. Ace stood beside her, staring at the figure.

All of a sudden, the most disgusting snap occurred as my neck whipped back. "AAH!" I cried out. The last of my bones, which just happened to be my spinal cord, had repaired themselves. God looked over and the figure turned around.

"You!" God called out with a form of joy as the figure also cried out in absolute rage.

"Traitors! All of you!" The Figure of War spoke, "I proved you, Aria, with infinite power and you abuse it! I can take it from you as easily as I gave it!"

He formed dozens of beams around him. "And you... _pony._ You need to die once and for all!" He turned to face me, making sure to add extra hatred to the word 'pony'.

I stood up, the pain had gone away a few moments after that last crack. I turned to him and smiled.

"I killed you once, _War_. I can do it again."

**-The Rubble of the Castle-**

Celestia rushed in as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony rushed out. She stopped them. "Twilight, the city is going to be attacked! Dragons... Ursa Majors... Everything!"

She looked at her teacher. "That's the Game. These monsters are... Leon was supposed to change this..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But God... He's here, and he's going to die!"

She wasn't sure what to do. Inside the area was God, incapacitated, and outside Canterlot was surrounded by beings of immense power. Celestia and the others were all torn.

Celestia faced her trusted guards, "Lets go, get the guards who have evacuated the city. We're going to fight."

The guards showed their first sign of being actual, non-robotic ponies in the longest time. A single one raised his wing, "FOR EQUESTRA!" The other guards all followed suit in the cheer.

The guards took off. The princess also turned to leave, but first turned her head to her student. "Take care of the events in the courtyard. Then do whatever you can to reinforce the guards."

She few away to take part in the battle as well. Twilight closed her eyes. She knew they would fail, or else God would never had placed a proxy in Equestria to begin with. Still, she knew it would be even worse if this … Figure... were to roam around Equestria.

"Ladies, let's get rid of this Figure... Whoever he may be."

Celestia flew off towards the edges of the city. She closed her eyes. "Twilight, I place my faith into you..."

She knew as well as Twilight that what she was doing was destined to fail.

**-Canterlot Gardens-**

The figure actually laughed at me. "You are a weak mortal, you've killed a fraction of me. I sill have the strength to take you on."

"With us two here?" Ace stepped forward, next to me. The figure laughed, "Yes, even with you two here. Aria is still an amateur, to master the powers she has been given, it would take a millennium. As for you Ace, you can do nothing."

I smiled. "They did nothing the last time you died." He was enraged by that last comment and sent forward the beams around him towards me. Aria and Ace stepped forward to deflect them.

I turned to Luna, "Get out of here!" She noded and did what she was told and flew as quickly as she could away from the garden with no destination in mind. "Leon's safe..." She smiled a little as she flew away, "He won't fail..."

Twilight and her friends ran to the garden to see Ace, Aria, and Leon. "Leon? You're alive!" Twilight called out as he turned to the six ponies, all wearing the Elements of Harmony.

"So the precious 'Elements of Harmony' are here are they? Look at how they served your 'God'." He laughed.

"I won't give up. WE won't give up!" Twilight and her friends began to glow. I rushed towards the figure which shocked both Aria, Ace, God, and the Figure himself. He sidestepped my thrust, though it was obvious his attention was directed to me. The elements took a few seconds before they'd activate. I spun and tackled the figure.

"Got off of me!" he had been caught off guard, not expecting me to jump at him arms spread wide. Several beams of light formed above me, ready to stab both of us. Too late. The elements launched their attack and struck the Figure – and me – dead center.

I felt the warmth of the elements, and I felt the pain. Twilight's eyes stopped glowing. "Leon!"

I was stone. The figure, however, was not, but that didn't mean he couldn't move. I had wrapped my arms around his body when we had been hit. He gasped, the elements still did a number on him, and he needed a fraction of a second he didn't have to recuperate. The last thing he saw was Aria standing above him.

God was on the ground. "As you said before, ..." He did a weak laugh, "Checkmate."

Aria struck the enemy down, and as he began to fade away, they heard his voice. "You were always right, Light. The perfect balance could never be struck... But for me... War is my utopia..."

God felt himself regain strength. Aria stood there, shaking. The last of the Figures had died.

Her body, she felt, weakened. The Essence of Love had left her, but as it left, it did one last action. I was once again reanimated.

She smiled, and Ace and God understood, the emotions the Figure had brought on her were not the only reason she had acted the way she did. "Thanks Ace. And you, Light. For helping me choose the right path."

God - or as I now knew him - Light, smiled.

"Its not over," God said, "The chess match, at least here, has only just begun." He paused and smiled, "And there is another one that just began. The Figures are no more. There will be a chess match in the heavens."

I just realized what I had done. I had caused havoc that would shake the heavens.

I laughed. "So this is what they mean when they say the bad guy always things he's the one doing good." Everyone looked at me oddly. I laughed even more, "I just killed the last man in charge. What's going to happen to the gods?"

God smiled. "Well, it was a compulsory death. Anyways, Equestria needs you. Someone will step up as the ruler of the Gods, though who it is will be anyone's guess as to who."

Ace laughed. "Maybe it'll be me, or Aria. That'd rock."

Spitfire appeared and shouted below. "They're here! The city is under attack by monsters!" I heard an explosion, and a giant fireball rose up in the distance.

"We all better get goin' sugarcube." Applejack advised.

"C'mon, lets go!" Pinkie pie leaped up into the air.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, but then began to fly towards the town.

Fluttershy was different herself, she seemed as serious as the others. "Let's go!" She said in the loudest voice I had ever heard her say. Even if it wasn't that loud, determination permeated the words. There was not even a trace of fear.

Rarity had pieces of rubble in her hair, but she seemed unfazed. "We really do need to get going don't we?"

Twilight smiled. "Let's go, Leon!"

I turned to her, leaving the three gods behind. I called out to the three "I hope everything works out! I won't fail you, Light!"

God shuddered, "I hate my name... Why'd he have to hear it..."

Ace laughed aloud and looked to Equestria's Ex-Ruler, "Do you think he'll notice who he really is?"

Light smiled, "Nope. Now it's time for our own war."

Aria looked at him, "You don't intend to..."

Light tried once again to move. "I do. But only once I can move."

"Let me help." Luna reappeared. She had no idea if a God could be healed like normal ponies, but she wasn't about to not try. Her horn began to grow as she summoned fourth the most powerful magics she could.

God smiled, "Thank you Luna." He smiled. He felt stronger than before, and finally was able to stand. "Go to town, your game has begun. Ace, Aria and I have our own game to play." The three gods faded away as Luna smiled. She flew off toward Canterlot, after Twilight and her friends.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Things are getting crazy, but its far from over. Today is my last day off from school, so the speed at which I create these ch<span>apters will most likely drop significantly. Still, the quality will not. Quality Quantity after all. Thanks for all your reviews! Read on fellow Bronies!**


	15. Chapter 15: To Battle!

**-Canterlot, the Edge of Town Facing Away from the Mountain-**

We were all standing there, below us was a war zone as ponies and monsters clashed against each other. The dragons flew up above us and began to torch the city as Ursa's used their claws to sweep aside dozens of the Royal Canterlot Guard at a time. It was a losing battle, but one we had to fight.

Twilight had taken charge, sending her friends to do different things. The Ursa's were going to be my territory along with Twilight. She was the expert, and she thought I would be nimble enough to dodge the attacks. By far these were the most dangerous of the beasts. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash was another group, both worked against the flying creatures that were invading the town. Fluttershy even went so far as to turn several of the dragons against each other with her "stare". Rarity, AppleJack and Pinkie Pie were the final group that tackled the ground-based smaller monsters. Rarity did what she did best, she whined. All of the monsters around her (and the odd guard or two) got caught up and found themselves not even moving, instead just covering their ears in pain. Applejack used her roping skills to get several of the larger beasts in the area. Pinkie Pie? I had no idea where she got all of the items she had, but her balloons distracted the creatures that were flying and all of the creatures around her were baffled by her actions.

They were unconventional strategies for sure, but effective nonetheless. The guards regained some of their ground, but the Ursa's were still unstoppable, once again pushing them back.

"Who would organize this? How is this possible." The Princess had been fighting the horde of monsters, using all of the magic she could to keep them at bay, but even she began to give as the legion of monsters continued their march towards Canterlot.

"Princess!" I sprinted to her as the last of her strength left her body. She had overexerted herself from moving large portions of the battlefield at a time to try to stop the enemies. Her magic was powerful, but even it had limits.

"Twilight! I need your help!" I called to her. She turned to face me. "Guard my body, just for a moment!" I closed my eyes and my body fell over. She was shocked, unsure of what I had done.

I had switched realms, to a place I had only been shortly before the fight had started.

**-God's Domain-  
><strong>

I wasted no time, I walked straight up to the chess set and watched as the black side began to engulf the entire chess board.

I closed my eyes and began to think. _This board... you showed me how to survive last time. Give me one more message! Show me how to save Equestria!_ I opened my eyes after giving a prayer to nopony in particular and stared at the board.

Behind all of the black pieces that infested the board was a single King. I looked at it and focused to see what could possibly be done to take this piece. The window materialized next to me. In it I saw a single being, standing on the shoulders of a beast. I gasped at what I saw.

At the back of this onslaught, riding on the shoulder of an Ursa Major, was a being that stood on two legs, wore clothes, had two hands, and hair. He was a human. This human wore jeans and a sweatshirt, through from where I was unsure. His face was obscured as the hood covered most of his face. He looked to have a thin build, though it was easy to hell he was almost all muscle. He was pointing at the battleground, screaming words unintelligible to me.

I closed my eyes and realized the message the board gave was clear to me. _Y__ou aren't here to give __an advantage. You're here to take one away. Theirs._

The advantage that our side had was something else, it wasn't me, it was my friends.

Several more pieces fell, more of them were white than black. I knew I had to do something, so I turned to walk towards the door.

I walked towards the door and paused. _To the next guardian of Equestria, I wish you good luck._

Then, though no one could hear me, words rang out from my mouth by themselves, "We're all guardians of Equestria. May luck truly be with us."

I walked through the door, understanding how we could win this battle.

Little did I know, I had knocked over several black pieces with my tail as had I turned to face the door.

**-The Rear of the Attack on Canterlot-**

A being possessed with rage rode on the back of an Ursa Major. "I was unleashed for this day! Leave no _pony_ alive!" He emphasized the word 'pony' with extra disdain.

Just then, his Ursa collapsed, falling for some unknown reason. With almost instant reflexes, the boy jumped from the back of the Ursa and landed effortlessly on the ground. Two other Ursa's in random places in the battlefield had also collapsed.

He smiled, he had been placed here under the sole purpose of several figures. Many of them had considered this land a threat to their ideal world. God apparently had figured his presence out, but by then his "army" had been raised. He was ruler of all of the creatures of Equestria and when he was done, he would be ruler of the ponies as well. That is, IF he let any survive when he was in charge.

"Our target is the Sun and the Moon!" He yelled as the crowd of animals rushed around the Ursa. He looked down, the Ursa had collapsed, and now it could not even move? Fate was playing an obnoxious trick, but those Ursa's weren't needed for victory. He began to march as other creatures began to swarm around him. He still had a trick up is sleeve that would decimate the town. Parasprites.

He smiled as he let loose only three. "Go to the town, my little friends." He said, smiling.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds-**

Light, Ace, and Aria materialized into a world completely different than before. Surrounding them were 5 other gods. The table was gone, all that was left was a plateau. The past light source, the magma that had been full of life, had been replaced with a sea of stagnant obsidian that went on for eternity. The only light was the faint glow of the last traces of cooling magma.

"Ace, Aria, Light. You have come." One stood above the rest, if only to appear to be in charge and spoke as if these gods had been waiting for them. "You must have sensed the figures' demise as well."

Ace snorted, trying to hold back laughter, "You know you don't need to be so formal right? Explaining this crap is just a waste of time."

Each god here was more qualified - at least in terms of power - than any other god to become the "New Figures". These were the ones that had not only attuned themselves to know the goings on of what is around them, but also what was not. These gods that had assembled were the only ones which knew of the last Figure's Death.

"The question is, are we gonna share the power, or is one guy gonna be in charge, or whatnot?" Ace continued. He knew he really was not in the league of these other gods, and Aria was not either. They were both weak in comparison with the final one of the trio, who had fought on level ground with a weakened Figure.

"I propose the solution be that we have an odd number, so bloodshed will not occur. A tie is impossible that way." One spoke up. Others agreed, but the specific number varied from seven to three when specifics came into play.

Aria finally spoke up, "The question is who here is truly qualified to become a new figure. We never had such an event take place, and the sooner we settle this, the less likely some form of bloodshed or war will take place." She was right. Lesser gods may not be attuned, but they weren't stupid, they would eventually notice the absence of power and begin to war for a spot as well.

Ace laughed, "I say we elect one person. Less arguing, more doing. So who's it gonna be?"

The gods shifted uncomfortably, having multiple figures ruling had forced this situation, but creating a single, omnipotent being was also risky. If they chose the wrong leader, the being could be more unstable than they had realized which could risk all of what was existent.

God joined in with Ace's laughter, "To be honest, I don't think we need a stagnant being like the figures used to be in this world. The time they spent doing residing here was really what caused their downfall." The others looked at him. They knew of the figures' deaths but were unaware as to what had actually finished them off.

"All were killed by an argument, over the fate of a single world." God laughed, "How ironic that it would be mine." They all looked at him sternly.

"So you orchestrated this, didn't you? You hope to claim their spot?" One of the Gods instinctively accused.

God smiled. He had predicted this would be brought up and presented a rebuttal, "If I had orchestrated such a thing, I would never have told you in fear of that very conclusion. I have little interest in becoming an - or the - ultimate ruler, but I would like to at least see a competent one take the power." He turned to look at the sea of cooled lava around him. "Anyways, the last Figure died by the hands of a mortal."

They were silent, until a single god angrily spoke up. "A mortal cannot kill a Figure, Gods cannot even do it! If you plan to claim such things, I hope you plan to give me proof!"

He smiled. "Proof? The Last Figure was the Figure of War. He held all of the Essences of the other Figures did he not? Who where lie these Essences? Where is his? If you can find it, you'll have your proof."

**-Canterlot-**

I sprung back to life and Twilight turned to me, she had been using magic to fend off several attackers. I sprung from behind her, tackling them with my hooves.

"I have an idea! Let's go!" I ran through the war zone, dodging and weaving though all sorts of enemies, Twilight followed behind me.

"Where are we going!" She shouted at me over the roar of the battlefield. I kept up the pace while I explained to her. "We need to get past this battleground!"

"Wait WHAT!" She screamed, but she didn't stop chasing after me. Then I found the pony I was looking for, Rainbow Dash.

"HEY! Rainbow Dash!" I waved to her as Twilight spun around to magically throw a bear to us.

She wasn't listening, a flurry of miniscule creatures swarmed by her and she seemed preoccupied trying to rid of them. I heard Twilight beside me gasp. "Parasprites! They eat everything! We need to get rid of them, pronto!"

"So what now?" I asked my pony friend. She looked to me and said a single name. "Pinkie Pie."

By now the fighting was in the streets of Canterlot, and the parasprites caused havoc in the urban environment. Buildings collapsed, Guards had their armor stripped, and the ponies were in trouble.

Pinkie Pie entered the scene and began banging drums and playing music, but it was no use, over the din of the battle, none of them could hear her.

But Twilight, who seemed to be ever-prepared for these events, had a solution and with a single spell the music pierced the battlefield, all the way to the ears of a certain enemy Commander.

As the two armies were stunned by the music and the fighting temporarily ceased, I started my plan. Rainbow Dash flied above the charred area that was the battlefield, carrying me and Twilight as quickly as she could. We may be losing now, but we wouldn't go down without a fight.

**-Behind Enemy Lines-**

"What is that? This isn't a party, this is war!" He was upset as to the odd way his enemy had acted. He was trained for this moment, though, and screamed to some nearby dragons, "Resume the attack! Don't just stand there!"

A single bat flew to his shoulder and screeched several sounds.

He smiled. "So we've captured the Goddesses of Day and Night? Good. Let us take control and end this seige."

He began to march forward, and his "troops" parted as he approached a dark, beautiful, winged unicorn. "So you are the one they call Luna." She lifted her head, anger covering her face. She couldn't move, she was strapped to a piece of wood, but she looked at the strange creature. Celestia was on the ground, unconscious and sealed by several magical spells.

"Who are you?" She boomed, she had reverted to what she was most comfortable with, the traditional royal Canterlot voice, "We look down upon your action of treating us with such disgrace!"

The creatures around her backed away in fear, but the odd creature that stood before her did not.

"I am a human." The boy lifted his arms in a shrug, "and I don't care if you look down upon me. The war will end now." He smiled. Several creatures held her platform up in the air as she was carried to the front lines. The boy's right hand glowed, a reddish tint surrounding it. It somehow muffled out Twilight's Spell, though the parasprites by that time had already dispersed from the battleground. He began to speak, his voice amplified by whatever spell he had used.

"Citizens of Equestria!" The voice was heard, even by the ones who had evacuated the city, "Your Dear Princesses have been captured. If you would like them to live, I suggest your immediate, unconditional surrender!" Above the battlefield was a projection of him, Luna, and Celestia, and in his left hand he held a sword to the Princess of the Night. "If you continue to resist, I will end both of their lives, and leave this city a shell of what it once was!"

He stood there, and below us the battleground was a mess. Guards laid down their swords, and as they did, the monsters around them pounced upon them, already they were taking prisoners. Rainbow Dash had stopped her flying and had begun to hover as horror was written across her face. Twilight simply yelled out, "Princess Luna! Princess Celestia!"

I closed my eyes and sighed. The battle was over.

But then I began to feel a warmth inside of me. I wasn't going to give up. I looked up to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, we can't just let it end here! I refuse!" She looked at me with sorrow across her face.

"What can we do? They have the Princess..." She had given in as well.

"No!" Twilight yelled, "We're doing it! For the Princess! Rainbow Dash, I really need your help, but if you aren't going to, then drop us here so Leon and I can do it ourselves!"

It snapped her out of it, this war wasn't over. Not as long as one person kept fighting it wouldn't be. "Well ya guys better kick some butt out there! I don't like losing!" Her eyes narrowed to one of sheer determination, she was back to her normal self. We took off towards the rear of the enemy lines. This war would be a short one, but whichever side would be the victor? I could only guess.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds-  
><strong>

The area was silent. The gods had closed their eyes, each trying to find the last figments of the Figures' power.

Finally a female god spoke. "I'll let the others find these 'essences', no just answer me this." She took a long breath. "So you say this mortal killed a figure? How?" She looked at the God that had ruled Equestria for so long.

Light simply looked at her and said, "He is broken, so to speak. He was a mortal with no destiny. He is incomplete being when it comes to that. The figures placed him where he would do little harm, and I interfered for my own interests. I knew he was there all this time, and when I found several figures had staged for my world to be destroyed, I 'relocated' him to Equestria as a Proxy, trying to get by without the Figures noticing. I know that broke several laws and even forced me to bypass a decent amount of seals that the Figures had placed, but I had succeeded in placing him here. Sadly, they noticed his presence much more quickly than I had hoped. Still, he was severely underestimated. When the Figure of War tried to kill him, he sent only half of his presence to do so, severely miscalculating this boy's strength. The boy managed to kill that part of him due to his incomplete nature, the limits he should have had were gone. He lacked the limits every other being ever created had been placed with. So in actuality, he ended War's life in two parts. Aria here ended the second body, though only with help from several friends, including this boy, who almost ended up sacrificing his presence to do so."

Other gods also had given up the search. "So where are the remains of the Figures' Power?" one asked.

Aria, though almost always serious, began to laugh. She was easily weaker than any of the others here, aside from Ace, who was an equal in her strength. She knew exactly where they resided, and yet these beings of power couldn't find it. She thought it was obvious herself.

**-Behind Enemy Lines-**

We landed near the place I had said. There were trees all over in this area, which would be perfect.

Me and Twilight landed and smiled at Rainbow Dash. "Do your thing Rainbow Dash!" I smiled. She zoomed into the area where Celestia and Luna were kept, and several monsters began to try to chase her down as she egged them on. She weaved through the trees and began to try to get them away from the encampment, me and Twilight ran towards it as silently as we could.

My purple friend used her magic to launch the logs from one of the fires into a tree, setting the area on fire. She ran into the area and got their attention, using her magic to get the rest of the violent creatures in the area to chase after her as she magically swept at them with flaming branches. I wished her good luck. She would need it.

I ran into the encampment, all that remained were two unconscious princesses and one angry human. He leaped from behind, sword poised to stab me in the back. I leaped away from him and from the forest fire, saw his face for the first time.

During that leap, his hood had flown back in the air, exposing his head to me for the first time. I was shocked. He looked just like me.

"Equestria is finished, you can stop your futile efforts," He smiled, "Canterlot has fallen, the guard are being rounded up as we speak. You'd better give in, we wouldn't want you... friends over there to have anything 'unfortunate' happen to them... would we?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here? What is your purpose?" I yelled these questions at him as he smiled.

"I have no name. As for your other questions, the world will shrivel up and die. Light will cease to exist. I was born for this single purpose, as the Figures placed me here to purge this land of all it was." He was smiling.

I looked at him and said four words. "The figures are dead."

His smile melted away, "You don't say..." Just then, his face warped in the most horrendous fashion, a maniacal smile came over is face and his eyes seemed to scream insanity. This wasn't the effect I had hoped to get from him.

"Good. Then I guess I'll have some fun." Bloodlust was all that I heard in his voice. His voice was high-pitched and maniacal.

He held an open hand out towards Luna and Celestia, and it began to glow red, as did both of the Princesses bodies. As soon as the glow engulfed the bodies, he closed his hand. The wood that Luna was strapped to completely shattered and both bodies fell to the ground, limp.

Then the sky above us as we saw it shattered and it made a sound almost like glass. I looked up and saw nothing. It was completely black.

"No!" I yelled as I watched in horror. I knew what he had done. He had destroyed the sky, the source of life Equestria needed was now gone.

He laughed in a high-pitched maniacal laugh. "You want to play too?" He was completely different. Swords appeared in his hands. He began to flail with blindingly fast speeds as he quickly cornered me. Behind me was a wall of fire. I was as good as dead. Again.

"Hey!" Stepping out from behind the trees was a single pony.

Twilight was here.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Not much to say here other than this was crazy trying to write. School makes it WAY too hard to release a chapter every day. I'm sorry guys, but chances are this will be the last chapter released on a daily schedule. <span>Then again, maybe not, I dunno. Remember to review! Read on fellow bronies!**


	16. Chapter 16: Dear Princess

**-Light's Domain-**

Luna and Celestia awoke with a start. They were in a place of darkness, a fireplace, a glass table, a window, and the tiled floor was all they saw. On the table, however, were two items, one was an ornate chess set that seemed to be playing itself, the other was a piece of ornately decorated paper.

Celestia and Luna for some reason were drawn to it, as if possessed to read the illuminated paper. On it was written a message, and God's voice rang out aloud as they read it.

_Dear Princesses Celestia and/or Luna,_

_ Over the years, I watched this land grow from almost nothing to the place you see today. The trees, the ponies, the sun, the moon. I had always achieved for a single goal in this world, to achieve what those who had employed me to do. I had always tried to create the "perfect" world. Over these hundreds of thousands of years, I had tried to strike an impossible balance between harmony and discord, but I never was truly able to do so.  
>I have learned my lesson, something that was apparent to you mortals before it was to even me. To even the ultimate life forms. The Figures, as we refer to them.<br>Harmony is perfection. Chaos is not. Regrettably, I sent messengers of chaos under the command of the Figures, and thankfully you triumphed each time with the use of my one given weapon. The Elements of Harmony. Discord, Nightmare Moon, you prevailed each time.  
>However, fate yet brings another peril to this land. One even I cannot control or stop. Still, as you are well aware, I have given you a second weapon. The Proxies. Leon and Twilight.<br>But this is not the end of the things I have given you. I have sent a third weapon to you, one useless at the moment I write this letter. The power of the Figures. I truly believe, if fate takes its course, that there may be a moment when the Figures will go out of control. I have sensed it for a while now, the tension between them. Each Figure represents one of twelve aspects of existence, but they each have a direct opposite. The fact is they will clash, and when they do, deaths will happen. They have already acted secretly from one another in starting this new chess match which already has begun.  
>I have given my crowns to Twiilight and Leon. To Twilight, the one of this realm, representative of the Soul; and to Leon, the one of Equestria, representative of the body.<br>If the worst occurs, which I am sure it will, I can only hope Leon succeeds. And if he succeeds, then Leon will live on, the crowns imbued with the power of the Figures that had fallen to his victim. The crowns will be imbued, hopefully, by the power of the Figures. The key being Twilight and Leon.  
>Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. I tell you this because your time as the mortal rulers of Equestria come to an end. Your deaths had marked either a failure, or a success in part of the Proxies. It was scripted, like many of the events of Equestria have been.<br>If you died this scripted death, then the Proxies have failed.  
>But you may not have died this death. Leon has changed that. He has no script. No lines to follow. My hope is that Leon, who is bound by nothing, can break the chains that restrain those around him. To make the mortals around him like he is. A defect. One without a destiny.<br>If you died like this. If you died in a way separate from what was destined. Then the proxies had succeeded.  
>I love Equestria, and I will do whatever I can to protect it. Sadly, it isn't much. You two have been two of my greatest teachers. For that, I am eternally grateful. I am sorry your deaths were unavoidable.<br>Forgive me of my foolishness, Princesses of Day and Night._

_Your Faithful Student,_

_Light_

The window, as soon as they finished reading, began to project a view of the battle between the stranger, Leon, and Twilight.

**-The Beginning and End of All Worlds-**

Every God understood now where the Figures' power had gone. They were looking at the mortal who unknowingly was the most powerful being to exist.

Light had shown all of the beings there the scene that was taking in Equestria, the war, the surrender, the deaths, and the confrontation between Leon and the stranger. It was all projected in the area the table of diamond once resided.

"So how will this affect our choice of the new Divine Ruler?" A god decided to point out, "The boy has the powers of the figures. So what? We simply take it from him. He isn't a variable."

Light smiled, they were like everyone else, miscalculating Leon, "You forget, he's killed two gods and a Figure. That isn't a coincidence."

All the gods were silent. "Then what do you propose? He become the new figure?"

Light continued with his grin. It was a chess match against the strongest remaining gods, and he was going to pull of his grandest checkmate ever.

"I'm pointing this out for one reason. We don't get to choose. He does." And there it was, his perfect win. He had pinned these gods down. They finally understood: Nobody could become the Leader of the Gods without Leon's approval.

Each and every divine being sat there, dumbfounded. Each had tried to react as quickly as possible to this opportunity, and all of it was for naught. A chance to become the Supreme god? It was simply an illusion.

The gods sighed in defeat. All that was left to do was to be silent and continue to watch the battle unfold.

Inside, Light was glowing. He had done what he had come to do. However, he stared at the projection with a faint trace of helplessness as he watched the land before him fight for his existence without his guiding hand.

**-Leon and Twilight's Location-**

The insane being had begun rampaging around the area with his swords swinging wildly. I could only defend for a few more moments as this insane creature struck any weaknesses in my defense he could find. I finally stumbled, but inches before the swords pierced my skin, they came to a halt.

"Leon!" Twilight yelled, the other being spun around to face her as I rolled away to join her side.

The figure looked surprised. "So you know?"

Twilight stopped, she didn't understand as to who this figure was.

The figure looked at her, his voice had returned to that of a normal human. "Did... Did you say what I thought you said?"

I looked at him with anger, "What significance does the name have to you?"

He looked at me. His face now showed no expression and he spoke formally, almost robotically.

"I was born a being with a singular purpose, to hunt down a certain being. One they simply referred to as the inadequacy. He was a being with no finality, no predestination. I was meant to kill this being. I was told the single name: Leon. I was created for his destruction."

I paused, "If you were created for a single being's death, why this? Why kill so many innocent people? Why attempt to bring an end to Equestria!"

He looked at me, and began to speak, "I was 'converted' to this task shortly after my creation at the direction of The Figures of Lies, War, and Hatred. They imbued me with a figment of their power, not as much as a Figure themselves, but easily greater than that of a God."

He did not know what possessed him to speak to these two, to tell them his true existence, his _name_.

"I am a being of destruction. It is all I know and all I embrace." He turned to me and said matter-of-factly, "You have eluded me for some time, Leon."

I stared back at him, his calm demeanor was impossible to decipher. What changed his actions to be like this?

A single set of words played through my head.

"… I am Noel... Your strength is mine, but mine will never be yours. I cannot lose to you. I AM you, and I am more."

He rushed in to strike me, this time with precision and swiftness, but Twilight stepped in the way, raising rocks from the ground to halt his movement. He ran up the side, however, and was at the top of the rock even before they had finished their ascent. The defense was a futile effort, he struck the ground between as we both sidestepped in opposite directions. He turned to face Twilight as his fist glowed, creating a wall of intense fire around me.

"You may be agile enough to avoid my strikes, Leon. But this girl, she is as vulnerable as you will ever be." Noel rushed at her, sweeping at the unicorn with his sword. She spun around to attempt to flee, but a pillar of fire took hold of the area and stopped her from moving. She turned to face Noel, the only feeling I could see in her eyes was fear.

I screamed, all of my fear, rage, desperation, and hopelessness formed into something I had not been able to do since I had arrived here. My horn glowed a light green hue as his sword began its final descent, about to pierce his target with a decisive blow, but the sword tip never reached the purple pony's skin. I had done magic.

Time had frozen. In front of me were two crowns and a book. A wind blew, revealing several pages of the book for what seemed only a moment, but I saw them all clearly and perfectly.

The first page was a plateau, surrounded by a sea of lava. 12 formless shapes that looked similar to that of the Figure of War were around a diamond table.

"_An eternity of lying Dormant. That is what these unfortunate beings had done for so long. Now, the scale has finally given, and their delicate balance has shattered. Beware, Leon."_

The second page was a painting of me looking at the Door to God's Domain. Etched ornately on it God's message of Luck.

"_You believe to have failed, but no. You never did Leon. Your story still goes on."_

The third page was the battlefield. This page had another message for me.

"_War is peculiar. No other force has quite the power to bring people together or to drive them apart quite like War. Leon, don't reject war, it is as natural as any other aspect of nature, but beware its power, and always hesitate to embrace it."_

Finally, the wind subsided on the fourth new page. This one was beautifully painted, and all of the things around me were there in detail. Twilight, the fire around me, the human named Noel, and myself were all in it, but there was something odd about the painting that struck me as odd.

The bottom left corner was left untouched, as though never painted.

"_Leon. This book has no end. Make one."_

I decided. This was my match, I would end it. Here. Now.

I closed his eyes and placed the crown upon my head. "I am God's messenger. I will not let him succeed."

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds- **

God had closed his eyes, knowing what I was witnessing. Had it been his choice, he would have remained in Equestria and acted to save this world. The limits and seals placed upon him were gone after all. However, the argument between these gods, without his interference, could have potentially escalated into a meaningless war that would consume multiple realms - all to find the next rulers of the Gods.

He sighed, he had succeeded, but not that his feelings of joy and relief has subsided, he felt hopeless as to watch as the encounter between his prized world take place without his guard.

He closed his eyes. His plans would all amount to nothing if Leon failed. However, he could not return, the Gods who resided here would see his interference, and even if the physical limits were gone, it would defeat the purpose of his actions to blatantly go against what other gods had followed for all eternity. However, he turned to Aria and Ace.

"Go to my domain. There are two friends waiting there for you." He said without smiling, both of the Gods nodded and disappeared from sight.

Ace let a small chuckle escape his lips before he faded away, "Nice job, dude. I didn't see that one coming."

**-Light's Domain-**

The two Princesses witnessed as Twilight was cornered, and Celestia stood and yelled trying to protect her student, though it was in vain. As they were about to witness the next event, two winged unicorns appeared. They matched the description of the ones who had captured Leon, but they were also the same ponies who both saw assist God in the Castle Courtyard. They were unsure about how to react to them. The two deities sensed their worry and quickly assured the princesses that they were friends.

"I sincerely apologize for my part in all of this mess. I really do." Aria bowed to help humble herself.

"We're on your side though, so don't worry. Light, or God, told us to help explain things to you. So here we are." Ace smiled, sitting on the floor near the fireplace.

Celestia smiled in a sincere fashion to show forgiveness, "Why thank you both, I would love to hear your side of the story."

Luna hesitated for a moment, but also finally caved, "We are glad you are here." She spoke simply.

Aria went over and sat next to her partner as they began to recount all of the things that Celestia and Luna did not yet know.

**-The Remains of Canterlot-**

They were the last ones to be collected as prisoners. Fluttershy (whom had reverted to her previous shy and nervous self), Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were surrounded, passive as the monsters around them marched them towards the base of their leader. They caused more havoc than many of the other ponies, it would make sense that they were going to have this fate.

As they marched, the sky shattered. Everypony in the area looked up, shocked as to what had occurred.

"Could it be? No..." Rarity suspected the worst.

"It ain' that, ahm sure a' it..." AppleJack looked to her friend, but her voice wasn't so sure either.

"I mean, that can't be right. We did what they said... right?" Pinkie Pie also grabbed at threads that were nonexistent, her voice not having quite the cheer it usually did.

They continued their walk, more silent than they had started.

**-The Forest Encampment-**

Time was still frozen, I picked up the crown and moved through the fire, something easily done when it wasn't moving. I left the book where it was and walked towards the two ponies. I felt the urge to strike down this human, here and now, but something prevented me. I didn't know why, but I felt that it wouldn't be natural. Then, as I touched Twilight to move her out of the way of the sword, I understood why I was apprehensive to strike him.

She became reanimated. If I had attacked Noel first, she would have died from his sword strike. I shuddered to think I could have made a wrong choice and lost the life of my closest friend.

"Wh- what?" Twilight looked at me shocked. She had been about to face her death, and moments before it struck, time had slowed to a halt. She was alive.

I smiled. "Twilight. You are in the same state I was when I died. Time is frozen."

We moved a distance from the pony near us, and I felt a sudden release in energy, what little magic I had suddenly ran out. Noel lunged forward and stumbled to the ground. His victim was right there, and he had done a perfect strike, but his target was gone. He was genuinely shocked, and slightly confused, as to what had happened. However, he reacted quickly to situations like these, he spun around and faced us. Any shock as to seeing Twilight there, alive, was concealed by his expressionless face.

"Fancy crown, I see you've escaped your prison." Twilight looked at me.

"I guess I'll wear mine too." The same thought I had must have come across in her mind as well.

_We'll do this, As messengers of God!_

Suddenly, Noel froze, and as he did he slowly backed a few steps. He thought, for a breif moment, that the two ponies reminded him of his masters.

Twilight and I were incapacitated, surrounded by a wall of white visible only to us.

He recovered quickly, we weren't moving, instead we seemed to be staring around at nothing. In reality we were amazed at the wall of energy around us, but he saw none of that.

Noel rushed towards us, ready to strike us down, but as soon as he struck the invisible wall, he was repelled backwards. His swords flew from his hands.

He got up from the ground, shock apparent on his face. He did a weak laugh, "I have the power granted by the figures, I will_ not_ let a weakling like you defeat me!" His swords disappeared with a flash of light and reverted to their original position, in his hands.

He vanished from sight – he moved at speed faster than anypony's vision allowed to register. However, Twilight's reflexes were heightened to impossible extremes, he appeared above-and-behind me and went to strike, but she intercepted it, blocking the sword with her hoof. His face was a mixture of shock, confusion, and pure effort. I moved – faster than even he did – and appeared by his side. I let loose an effortless punch to the chest, and an audible, "Oof" came from his mouth before he rocketed towards the ground at an angle, leaving a small trench behind him. Weakly, he got back up.

Me and Twilight were acting purely on instinct, but I stopped myself before ending his life. It wasn't right. "Twilight..."

She stopped. She had also gotten control of her senses.

"What happened? I... I don't understand..." She looked at me, surprised.

"H-how are you doing that Leon! You're talking without your mouth moving!" She must have seen my reaction on my face, because she continued with a simple, "Oh..."

"You are imbued with the Power of the Figures. The Beings even Higher than Gods. With great power comes great responsibility. Use it wisely." Light's voice rang out.

"YOU! Leon!" He looked at me, that punch left him severely injured, his right arm being lifeless and limp. His left, however, managed to hold onto his sword.

I looked at him, but said nothing.

He was panting, and I realized he was struggling to stay standing, his right leg began to buckle and he had to react to keep himself from falling. "Why... Why can't I... Why wont you die!"

He sprinted outright at me, his one are limply flailing behind him. His speed was immense, it made me wonder how he had only moments before almost stumbled while standing still.

He leaped at me, planning to strike me down with his left arm's sword, but midair, all of his momentum stopped, he was pierced through the chest by a single beam of light. Twilight has summoned it, and judging by her facial expression, she did it involuntarily.

He dropped his sword and his body went limp, but I heard him laugh. "You want to protect him, girl?"

He lifted his head up, a crazy grin on his face, and looked at her. He let out a single, inhumanly high pitched laugh. "Good luck!"

With that his hands glowed, and his entire body began to become a dark brown. I gasped, predicting exactly what he was going to do.

"Twilight, move!" She looked over to me in time for me to whisk her away with the bodies of the two princesses to the last remnants of Canterlot.

I then turned to the body, all of the power seemed to only ask my will before it went off to do its work, and so I asked for a barrier, and just in time.

The boy smiled one last time, and then, with a last look into the sky, used his body as a catalyst for a last attack. An explosion to rival the creation of the universe.

And as all of this occurred, I focused all of my energy into a barrier, but it was not enough. The barrier began to give, to weaken.

Finally, the last of my concentration broke and the barrier shattered, and while Canterlot and the surrounding area survived the explosion, I was consumed in the blast.

* * *

><p><strong><span>If you haven't already noticed, I recently changed the rating of this to M because of violence.<span> I got a complaint to "stop killing ponies", and since I was lazy, I decided to change the audience than to change the story. Yeah, I'm a jerk like that. Anyways, I wouldn't complain, seeing as most of the beings arent really 'dead', but to be safe...**

**Anyways, life is busy, but I ignored my homework today to get this out ASAP. Sorry for all of the typos, sometimes I don't get to proofread.  
><strong>


	17. Chapter 17: True Insanity

**-Light's Domain-**

The Princesses, along with Ace and Aria, watched in awe at the raw power that Twilight and Leon displayed during the short fight with Noel. Time seemed to have traveled separately in this realm than other ones. They had sat there for a good hour, listening to what Ace and Aria had said, and when they returned to see what was going on, the battle had only progressed slightly. Finally, they witnessed the boy Noel being pierced by a beam of light.

Celestia was unsure of what to think about what Twilight had just done. She had seen death in her lifetime, she had lived an immortal life, after all. However, it just seemed odd to think that her precious student and apprentice would be capable of ending lives herself. She was so... innocent. Then she felt a wing covering her. It was Luna.

"Don't worry sis, they're doing what they have to..." She did a long, exaggerated blink, and when she opened her eyes she smiled, "Twilight isn't doing this because she wants to, you know."

Then they saw Leon, he had gasped and seemed to be worried about something, but neither princess was sure as to what it was. They saw Noel's body become somewhat charred and consumed in a dark brown color, as if he was burning from the inside. Noel screamed something, and they saw Leon whisk Twilight away.

Next to them, Aria stood up and screamed, "No!" Both princesses jumped, unsure as to what the panic was and looked at her. Then the window was consumed in a giant white explosion that rocketed into the sky, and they saw Leon being consumed within it.

"Ace, we have to go!" Aria yelled. He was already on his feet. He nodded, completely serious.

"Wait, are we able to join?" Luna quickly spoke before they left.

Aria shook her head. "Sorry, but you're going to have to be here for a little bit longer... Once you die in a world, you can never return to it."

Both Princesses froze. Leon had done it, so why couldn't they? They shook their heads realizing the answer. This was something Gods had to abide by, the only reason Aria and Ace were able to do so was because of the fact they had cheated and War had given Aria the power to resurrect the god's bodies. Both princesses sighed.

"I guess we have to keep watching." They turned back to the window, completely oblivious to the chessboard's layout.

The black king had fallen, and the pieces began to reform, signifying the start of a new game. One of the crowned pieces was a gray color, neither black nor white.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds-**

The gods watched as this battle took place, now realizing it would have been the equivalent of suicide to attempt to strip this boy of his powers.

"I have to go." They looked to see Light speaking, "This isn't good."

He vanished, and along with him, the screen projecting the world of Equestria also vanished. Each God understood, the explosion was unnatural, but if the boy Noel had been speaking the truth, about his powers being granted by the figures, Leon could very well have perished from that explosion. They sat there in silence, no God having anything to say.

**-The Battlefield below the Ruins of Canterlot-**

Guards looked around as the creatures around them stopped working in order. All of them seemed either disturbed by the explosion, or afraid. Many sprinted off, and as soon as they had mysteriously assembled to attack Canterlot, they had dissolved, only the dead remained. The Ursas had even managed to disappear from view.

The guards were stunned, had the animals disappeared right after that last detonation? The sky, or what was supposed to be the sky, was illuminated by a blast of pure energy. They had thought it would have hurt them, but it seemed to have been directed, somehow funneled, towards the sky, and the blast only just managed to pass over the top of the mountain Canterlot off built off of. The guards and fighters were free, ad the battlefield was filled with joy. However, it was short-lived. Many of their friends and partners were not as lucky as them. The battle had cost lives of many fine men.

Above the battlefield lurked the yellow pegasus known as Spitfire. She had tried to understand all of what had happened, but in the end, it was over and all that had occurred was simply a series of unexplainable events, ending in tragedy.

She closed her eyes, "I never should have come here..." A single tear dropped from her eyes.

**-The Burning Forest, Rainbow Dash's Location-**

Rainbow Dash had been evading the creatures, but finally, they had cornered her, or so they thought, just as she rocketed into the sky, an explosion occurred, she froze as the shock wave approached her. Just as she thought she was going to be killed, her body turned to sand and faded away. She reformed in the Castle Gardens, or its remains. She was next to an unconscious Twilight and the Two Princesses.

"Hey Twi, wake up!" Rainbow nudged her.

She jumped and screamed, "Leon, Wait!" Then she looked around her in a panic before taking a few breaths and calming down.

"Rainbow Dash..." She looked at her friend, "What happened."

Her friend looked at her, "That's my question!"

Near the entrance, Twilight's other closest friends seemed to be climbing in.

Pinkie shouted, "See, I told ya she'd be here!" They were all with a small smile.

"We're glad you're okay Twi'." Applejack said before looking over to the princesses.

Then Twilight looked down. "Sorry... I couldn't..." A tear fell from her eyes, "The princesses..."

The others looked down. They had tried to remain optimistic, but when faced with the horrible truth, at times it is impossible.

Then the shyest pony spoke up, "Umm... Twilight... What happened? Do you know what caused the explosion?"

The other ponies looked at Twilight and she closed her eyes. "I... I don't know. We were fighting... this being and... and... he tried to hurt Leon so I... with light I..."

So many emotions surged through her, this was the first she had actually thought about what had happened. They overwhelmed her. "I..." her voice trailed off as she chocked, but from behind the other ponies came a voice.

"She did what she had to. The explosion was from a human who orchestrated this attack. His name is Noel. He perished with his last attack being to self-destruct and use his body as a catalyst for a massive discharge of energy." Light spoke, next to him were Aria and Ace. Behind them was Spitfire.

They had gathered the last remaining ponies together that knew of this horrible series of events, and Light faced Twilight.

"I think you're the only one here who can raise the sun, Twilight. It's time." Twilight looked shocked, almost appalled to be told to do this. It had always been her teacher's duty to do so.

Light smiled, "They're fine, ask Ace and Aria, both of the royal sisters are in my domain... for now."

Twilight understood, and she closed her eyes as the Sun began to rise in the horizon. The sky in front of their eyes seemed to reform as the most beautiful sunrise they had ever witnessed rose, once again bringing light into the world.

**-The Forest below Canterlot, Leon's Location-**

"You did a good job." A voice spoke to me.

My eyes opened, I was surrounded by twelve formless beings, there was a ring of fire, and we were in the center of it, outside of the ring I saw nothing. I tried to stand up, but my legs wouldn't move. I tried moving, but in my legs all I felt was pain. I wasn't able to move.

"Why..." I managed to squeeze out. These were the Figures, the ones whose power I had used. The Figure of War stepped forward.

"I regret nothing, you know." Was the simple thing he said.

I looked at him, but said nothing.

"But I commend all you have done, all you have fought for. You have earned my respect." He seemed to bow towards me, and he backed up.

Others stepped forward. "Your friend who also has a figment of our powers... Where is she?"

I looked at them, but when I tried to speak, I was unable to.

"We see..." They somehow understood, "No matter. This concerns you. You have done well."

Several others spoke, "And you were decisive, you chose a side."

The last of them stepped forward, "You fought for what you believed was right, and even though not all of us supported what it was you fought for, we deem you a worthy successor to our power."

"But power comes with a price." War walked in front of me, "You will carry the burdens of all of those who came before."

I did not understand what he meant. They vanished in front of my eyes, and all of a sudden all I felt was thousands of voices inside of my head, it began to overwhelm me.

From the saddest woe, the most earnest prayer, or the smallest complaint. All of the thoughts that the figures had in their past eternity, all of the prayers and requests the gods gave, all of the hopes and dreams of mortals. All of it flowed through my mind.

I covered my ears and screamed.

**-The Cantlerlot Battlefield-**

Spitfire, Ace, Aria, Light, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and AppleJack. All followed behind Twilight, looking through the battleground. The old guardian of Equestria felt pity for these ponies, he had seen every one grow to this size. To have their lives end here...

He walked back and forth through the battlefield, healing any of those he could while he was walking, inside him was a pain worse than any physical wound. He looked down, "I'm sorry everyone... to be caught in the crossfire of a battle you didn't know existed..."

The ponies looked at him. Rarity came forward and nuzzled him with his snout. "It's okay dearie. Sometimes bad things happen, but we have to stay strong."

Light looked at her, a sad smile on his face, "I suppose you are right, young one."

They reached the forest, the forest fires had finally died down, but only because of the large discharges of magic upsetting the balance in the area, causing a light rain that was not placed by anypony.

We'd better enter here, Twilight said. She stopped as the other ponies passed her. She wasn't sure what condition Leon was in, and she feared the worst. She took off the crown.

"You aren't really going to give that up, are you?" Light was next to her.

She smiled solemnly, "It belongs to you." She handed the crown to him.

He smiled, "Thank you, but it no longer has any use, you know. Both symbolically and practically, it is only good for you."

She smiled, but looked at Light, "I don't know if I like wearing it anyways..."

She was afraid of the power. The ex-god knew it. She had attacked a being with the intent to kill, and she had finally realized what she had done. She looked down, several tears falling.

"I understand how you feel, but we all lose out innocence, one way or another. It's a part of life. That power, use it wisely for the right reasons. I have more faith in you than any other." Light smiled. Little did Twilight know the powers had bound to her. Crown or not, she would be able to use it at any time.

"Hey Twilight! Get over here!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out.

Twilight wiped her eyes, and began to walk towards the others.

**-Light's Domain-**

Celestia stood there, she was watching her student learn another life lesson. Life wasn't as innocent as she had always thought. The princess closed her eyes. "I really have faith in you, Twilight."

Luna looked at her sister. "We wish we could be of assistance..."

They paced back and forth, and as they did, the window changed views. They saw the barrier that Rainbow had called Twilight over to. A flaming circle was around the ground, and inside of it was a half-sphere of complete darkness covering the area Leon should have been.

Both princesses looked into the window as it pierced the shell inside. The saw Leon, writhing on the ground and screaming in pain.

He was alone.

Still, no matter how hard they tried to look away from the horrid sight, all they could do was sit and watch his pain.

**-Inside the Darkness, Leon's Location-**

All I felt was unbearable pain. I could barely move. My mind ached as voices penetrated my mind.

The figures stood around me, one last farewell to their existence. "Use our powers wisely Leon. You will pay for its use here and now. For both you and Twilight."

They faded away, and all that was left was me, in this ring of fire, voices of sorrow and pain filling my mind.

I was gasping for air, this horrible feeling, I was losing control, and the power that had only just been given to me began to spurt out of control. I gasped, trying to get it under control.

Finally, my mind gave, and a fell to the ground unconscious.

The fire around me gradually died, and the white began to fade, letting the outside world return into view.

**-Outside of the Darkness, Twilight's Location-**

Twilight stood there, watching the orb slowly melt away along with everyone else, the fire dying out slowly.

Inside was Leon's body was limp. Twilight ran to it.

God stood there, unsure of what had happened, had he died? No, he was alive. Still, something seemed off about the pony. His strength was immense, just like Twilight's. He could easily sense that, but it was oscillating, as if he were going from the bring of death to alive and well and back again.

"I can only imagine what he's going through.

Her friends went to her and Leon, saying words of assurance to their friend, who had simply laid next to him without saying a word.

"He'll be fine Twi'" Applejack spoke to her.

Twilight smiled, "I guess he will..."

She closed her eyes and snuggled up against me, unaware that within my conscience was a battle I was losing.

**-Leon's Mind-**

I was on Earth, walking down a city street. I recounted how I had never known my family, and I never had connections to this world. I remembered how I convinced a judge I could live on my own, and how I had moved into my home at age 16. I remember how three days before my birthday, I was killed.

I lived through it again. The fear, the hopelessness, the sadness, the regrets. It all flowed through my mind as this man went to end my life. It was horrible. However, it wasn't the end.

I felt the last strike connect, and things faded to black.

Was I recounting how I arrived in Equestria? … No... the darkness was merely a transition. Soon, sorrow and hopelessness began flowing through my mind, I witnessed thousands of events of sorrow, as tragic as mine, and I felt the pain of all of them combined.

I screamed, "STOP!"

Inside, my body fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the power of all of the sadness.

Outside of this part of my mind, my body had reanimated itself.

**-Outside, next to Twilight-**

Everyone watched as Twilight hugged the pony with a small mixture of pride for the pony and happiness of Leon being safe. However, Twilight opened her eyes suddenly.

Her ears twitched, and Twilight opened her eyes. "Something is wrong..." She said somewhat quietly. She spun op on her legs and faced my body. Everyone else was confused at her behavior and those around her stepped back a few feet out of shock. She seemed ready for an attack. "This isn't Leon..."

My eyes opened right on sue, they glowed a deep blue, and I stood up like a robot. I spun to face the others. Without moving my mouth, my mind shouted a single thing at them that struck them with a blast of air.

"DROWN IN OUR SEA OF RAGE!"

Waves of energy rippled out from around my body as Ace, Aria, and Light all summoned fourth their weapons, ready to respond to this new threat. Inside, Light was unsure if he could really end this boy's life after what he had already done. However, if the time came, he was ready.

"For Equestria..." Light mumbled to himself as a form of support to help him reassure he was making the correct decision, the only other beings who heard him being Ace and Aria.

In front of them stood a being, whose power seemed to be more and more unstable, the level I was giving off fluctuated randomly. Light moved quickly and decisively, whisking the other mortals, excluding Twilight, away to where the other refugees of Canterlot had been evacuated before the battle.

Still I stood there, the power I was giving off being more unstable every moment.

"FEEL TRUE PAIN!" I psychically shouted.

I had no control as I struck out at the last defenders of Equestria. The last threads holding me from attacking me snapped, and as my mind failed, a last clear thought passed through my head.

The last thought was one that slowly faded into the other thoughts rushing through my head. Just like them, it was one of sorrow. One of regret.

_...Twilight... I'm so sorry … I'm so sorry I never told you...  
><em>

_...I love you..._

* * *

><p><strong><span>I typed this while watching the live stream of broNYcon. I just now realized that I ignored my homework ALL day. Crap.<span> Don't expect another chapter soon. I dual enroll, so college classes will make like 20% more difficult than they already are. Sorry guys. Still, I hope to have one out before next weekend begins, and hope I can at least average 2 chapters a week, even if the time between releases are inconsistent. Read on fellow Bronies!  
><span>Once again, thank you all for your great reviews, it makes my day reading them. - Eyeclops.<span>  
><strong>


	18. Chapter 18: Leon's Lament

**The Proxy Reports are three reports, written by the Gods Light, Aria and Ace. They were written shortly before the unveiling of who held the remnants of the Figure's Power.**

**They are about Leon.**

**They bring up more questions than they solve.**

**-The Proxy Reports: Light-**

_Imagination. Mortals tend to think little of it. People believe it is their creation. They believe imagination to be a force where they create something new._

_This is false._

_Imagination, while occasionally fitting that description, is more often something else – a glimpse into other worlds. Those with a strong imagination tend to be able to cross over and see "glimpses" of other worlds._

_Take Pinkie Pie. She is a perfect example. Her subconscious slips into a world "parallel" to ours of Equestria. When this occurs, her tail twitches, her ears perk up, her body shakes, or a combination of odd, involuntary behaviors occur._

_The world she sees is just like ours, but only slightly different. It is moments ahead of ours in time._

_Sure, minute differences might exist, and one day her "Pinkie Sense" may be wrong, but the way worlds work, it is just as likely she will never encounter that situation._

_Imagination is to be attuned to another world via the mind. Leon is different, the opposite, his presence in any world is unnatural, so the world attempts to force his mind out of the world or to mold his mind to 'fit' more into the world he is in. He is mortal as well, thus preventing him from changing his 'frequency' to match the world's frequency.***** This leads to interesting results, his behavior changes to fit more into the world. In his world he was very calculating – analyzing all outcomes of his actions with logic before doing anything. In Equestria, where he was originally intended to be born, he is more emotional, more impulsive. He places faith on the fact everything will turn out okay, a somewhat foolish action when considering the fact he is the one without a "fate"._

_However, the other world, "Earth" rejected his presence from the outset, but enough of its frequency "rubbed off" he can no longer truly 'belong' in Equestria. He was damned from the beginning, when he was born into the wrong existence. It didn't take fate to decide that much. However, I will let him have this time. May joy be in his heart, if only for this brief moment.  
><em>

_His cutie mark is another interesting topic. It was different from what I had intended it to be for. He tried to show the Figures the "light in the darkness". However, that was a failure. They are dead.  
><em>

_But he has shown others this light._

_Once again, he has defied fate. Once again, he provides another alternative. He lived up to his cutie mark in way I had never expected. He showed me this light. Ace... Aria... Twilight... Celestia and Luna... Spitfire...  
><em>

_But still... to think I might have doomed him. The person I owe so much to is the one who, it seems, I cannot save._

_Hopefully, he chooses to become the - or a - new Figure. If he doesn't and chooses to stay mortal, with his mortal form the way it is, a mixture of Earth and Equestria's worlds... If he decides not to become a figure..._

_Hopefully I can warn him ahead-of-time. Twilight... well she..._

… _damn my luck. I think Leon's fallen for her. If that's the case..._

_*****Attunement: A being's ability to live in a world without either the world or the being experiencing distortions in reality, jumping from one world to one of closer 'frequency' and back – frequency being the world's ability to let the being live there – and causing irreparable harm to the being's soul, destroying their chances of reincarnation to another world. Most mortals, after death, are "reattuned" to the world their next life will take place in. Leon, as a defect, cannot have this done. Therefore the Figures placed a seal, "tricking" the world into accepting him. Now that they are dead, it had broken.  
><em>

_...no, the seal shattered when he left Earth._

We'll need to get him to a place where attunement isn't required as soon as this is all over. A gap in the worlds... If we don't...

**-The Proxy Reports: Ace-**

_I was assigned to watch the kid, Leon, when he first started growing up on Earth. I really wasn't sure what was wrong with the kid, but he never really had family from the beginning. Those higher-ups just told me to take the kid and place him in some city somewhere._

_So I did that, and then they tell me to go report on his behavior once a year for 6 years?_

_Hell no! What kinda crap is that right? He's in a ghetto somewhere in New York or someplace. Maybe it was New Hampshire, or D.C. Whatever, it was some place in America on Earth._

_Whatever, so I did it. Kid seemed pretty weird sometimes, but he wasn't anything special, so after 6 years they tell me to go do my thing again, and off I went._

_I really didn't get the Figure's paranoia over some small kid who would probably amount to nothing._

_Man, I was wrong. Ha! Who'd believe that this kid did what Gods had never even thought possible? Killing a figure? _

_Whatever. He's a good kid. I like him. Kinda regret screwing him over though._

_Yeah, that sucks._

_I knew I should have lied and put him in Equestria._

… _I wonder if Light's ever gonna tell him. About where he belongs._

… _Then again, if he's immortal like I think he is, then it really doesn't matter._

_What if Light doesn't tell him about what happens when you become immortal?_

**-The Proxy Reports: Aria-**

_Well crap. This kid... I have way too many reasons to hate him. He knocks me out and kills me and Ace. He single-handedly screws everything up and gets all of the Figures to go and end up dead. He drags me into this. _

…

_But you know what? I really like the guy. He's pretty damn cool if I do say so myself. And I only reserve that phrase when someone actually deserves it. That leaves a list of... 3 beings including him. Still, Light and Ace really don't count, they're gods after all._

_But I digress, the issue I have is what is going to happen after this is all over. He can't continue living in Equestria, even though it was where he belonged. Earth is not a feasible option either. Not only did he die, but he is even less attuned to that planet._

_And he's kinda stuck now. He can't be in any world anymore. The figures aren't there looking over his body. The seals that had covered his soul forcing the Earth to accept his 'frequency' are gone, and most importantly, the kid is going to end up in a fate far worse than... well..._

_Its better I don't write it down._

_Anyways, if he stays on Equestria for any amount of time, now that the seals are gone... _

_His soul won't be around for long, and after his soul's frequency hits a certain point... Well... not even the power of the Figures could save him._

_But still, if he chooses to become immortal. If he does that... Well..._

_I feel bad for Leon. He's been put into a situation where he... he just can't win._

_Sometimes, Light. I really hate how heartless you are. You should have just let him be._

End Proxy Reports.

**-The Battleground, Leon and Twilight's Location-**

The gods, Light, Aria, and Ace had attacked me, trying to subdue my raging body long enough for me to calm down, it was no use.

I began my counter attack, I summoned exquisitely decorated battleaxes, which targeted Ace and Aria. At the same time I rushed Light, which used the Elements of Harmony to deflect my attack – a small dagger I held in my mouth.

It wasn't enough, the power of Twelve Figures easily overcame any form of defense the God had, he – along with his two friends Ace and Aria, were easily outmatched.

As quickly as the fight started, it was over. I struck each of them down in mere moments. All of the fighting skills the three beings possessed amounted to nothing in the face of such immense raw power.

They laid on the ground unconscious, and I rushed towards the last being there. Twilight Sparkle.

She stood there, a determined look on her face, and as soon as I struck, she sidestepped all of my attacks. A tear let loose from her eye as a pillar of earth rose from the ground around me. I jumped forward and rolled. Without me turning around, I shot beams of light fired from several locations and honed in on Twilight's location, she ported a short distance away right before they were about to hit her.

Tears flowing from her eyes, she screamed at me, "LEON! Snap out of it!"

**-Nowhere-**

I was floating around on darkness, all I felt was pain.

Sadness, Fear, Pain, Anger... It was all I could think of.

I felt hopeless. Then I heard it.

Twilight's voice, ever so lightly, called through the storm.

"… le...on, snap out of it!" Suddenly, a new torrent of thoughts surged through my head.

However, it was different this time. There was sorrow. There was anger. There was sadness. … But there were other things. Moments of Joy. Moments of Love. Moments of happiness. Moments of miracles.

I began to lose hope, and yet here, within my dream. No, within my nightmare. Twilight brought it all back.

I could go on.

**-The Battleground-**

Twilight panted, she had a small cut on her side. In front of her stood me, once again relentlessly attacking.

"Why..." She whimpered as she deflected another strike. Around her were books, they acted as a shield and blade, as dangerous as any of my battleaxes.

However, I refused to speak, closing in on her, and immediately I struck down with my weapon. She had deflected the brunt of the attack with a book, but she still found herself flying backwards.

I appeared behind her, about to perform the finishing strike when I paused. "...hope..." I mouthed the words as if I had never spoken before.

Twilight flew into me, and my brief moment of inactivity ended. We wrestled on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand when my horn glowed. Twilight saw it and leaped away, just in time to avoid a small explosion I had summoned between us. However, before the dust had cleared, she rushed directly at me, horn first.

She pierced me straight in the chest, I had been in a standing position on my two hind legs on the ground.

I paused, and the light that glowed in my eyes faded away. The weapons fell to the ground and disappeared. I looked around, though my eyes were covered in blood and sweat, and saw what had happened.

The area was scarred from each strike that had happened. It was incredible. T saw three unconscious gods on the ground. I realized what had been done.

Twilight hadn't moved, but I saw the ground below her. Tears fell into the ground that was now covered in my blood.

"I... I'm sorry... Leon..." I heard her say, and I smiled, though it was extremely weak.

"I see... I've... I've been making a mess... haven't I? ..." I laughed weakly, "Thank you, Twilight. For everything... Everything you've done."

The only thought left in my mind was one of joy. I could finally tell her what I felt about these past few days.

"Twilight... I really mean it... These past few days... They were incredible. I... I never knew that I would be so... so lucky to ever meet someone... like you." I smiled, "I... I never got to tell you this but... I..." I slumped over and fell backwards, slipping off of the only thing that had kept me standing. Twilight's horn.

I fell face-up on the ground. And I saw it. I saw the sun rising.

_I... I'm glad this is a happy end..._ I thought to myself. Tears were in my eyes, and a small smile, came across my face.

"Leon!" She rushed to me and hugged my body, and even though I was dying, and I wasn't even strong enough to speak, I felt warmth rushing through me.

_...I never told you... I love you..._

I closed my eyes. The last tears no longer ones of joy, but ones of regret.

If nothing else... Have my power... I closed my eyes and my body began to break up into light, it surrounded Twilight. Warmth flowed through her. She knew exactly what he had done, and when his body totally dissipated, a single statement went through her head, as though it had been spoken by someone old and wise that came from eons before.

"Your friend has paid the price to give you this power. Use it wisely, dear Twilight."

Twilight stood there, and as she did, she began to cry.

Light regained awareness in time to see Twilight inherit what I had only just gotten. Immortality.

"He isn't dead..." Light walked to her. She stood there, looking at where I had been, no expression on her face at all.

Light continued anyways, "You should move on, he could not have stayed anyways. I would have killed him if you hadn't..."

Twilight turned to him, anger and frustration flaring from what he had just said, "What? Why could you say that! He risked his life to come here to protect your world! He did what you asked, and what for! 'He can't stay'?"

He looked at her, "Had he stayed immortal, _you_ would have died, Twilight. He knew this."

She stepped back, shocked as to what was just said. Her? Dead?

"Power comes with a price. He paid it. The feelings of all beings, Living and dead, of every world made themselves known to him. He went through such pain, his body took control. It was not his mind acting, but his body did it on its own. His mind was broken long before he attacked us."

Twilight looked at him, but didn't make a sound. Her face was an impossible to read mixture of sadness, anger, confusion, and other emotions. It was almost painful to see her like this.

"At the end of the horrors he faced, a sorrow from every being will have gone through his mind..." Light paused, "And the end is when the last one occurs. Beings are made to face their worst sorrow."

_If I had continued to live, my worst sorrow... would have been losing you, Twilight. If I died... it would be... never getting to tell you I love you... _It echoed in Light's mind, but Twilight was oblivious to the words I had never spoken.

A faint outline of me appeared next to Twilight. I was smiling and looking at her. She stared at it, but as she went to move towards the glowing figure of me, it faded away.

Behind her, she heard a voices. "It's okay Twilight, we miss him too." She turned around.

Luna and Celestia stood there, once again alive. "P-princesses!" She rushed to them and hugged them, forgetting how dirty she was.

"So you used the last moments of your life to bring those two back?" Light chuckled to himself, "Selfless, even to the bitter end. And you even gave me back what I didn't deserve." He smiled - more to try to convince himself of being happy than genuine joy itself- and closed his eyes. "Returning me to my position as God of Equestria... After all I did to ruin your life..." A teardrop fell from his eye. "I am a terrible person. I condemned you to this... this 'fate' and you... you forgave me..."

Light watched as Twilight's brief moment of joy caused by her reunion was again stopped by sorrow.

He sighed, "Where did you go, Leon?" Light then he closed his eyes and looked over to Ace and Aria, both of which were still lying senseless on the ground. "It looks like our time here is up." He looked over once more to Twilight. "She may be the wielder of the Figures' strength, but she's not going to be in any condition to rule any being quite yet. I guess. I'll come back for you when you're finally ready."

He walked towards the two unconscious gods, all three fading away to places unknown. Light thought to himself as he disappeared into light., "We need to find _him_... Any longer..."

The Princesses ended up having to carry the weeping Twilight back to the remains of Canterlot. She was unable to move after her revelation. She had killed Leon, her friend. She... She was the worst pony a friend could ask for...

… Sadness. Is that what Leon endured? He paid for both of us? Twilight cried lightly to herself.

"I let him down..." She said, the first words Twilight had spoken since the princesses had begun carrying her. They both turned around, she had been slumped over Luna's back.

However, both said nothing. She had mumbled to herself out of sorrow.

The princesses walked towards the ruins that were once Canterlot as the surviving guards bowed in the battlefield. There would be much cleaning to do after all that had happened.

Celestia and Luna didn't know whether to smile or frown. Both wondered the same thing as they continued their trek to the last vestiges of their home.

... Was this really a happy ending?

**-2 years later...-  
><strong>

Somewhere in the wilderness of Equestria an unconscious black unicorn fell from the sky. He had blood streaming from around him as he fell into a crystal clear lake in a forest clearing.

"Well, well, well. What does The Great and Powerful Trixie see here? A stallion in need? Well he's in luck, because the most magical pony in all of Equ- … Because The Grea-..." The light-blue pony paused.

"Because I am here." She walked over to the water where the unconscious stallion had fallen into, planning to carrying him to her tent. While the tent was more modest than her old living arrangements, the 'old arrangements' no longer existed. Now she had a new - more modest start. No more third-person stuff. No more bragging. No more fancy shows. No more... how does one say it? ... No more what she was.

She still wasn't completely used to it, even though it had been 3 years since the incident with that one... unicorn. She magically levitated the hurt pony from the depths of the water and carried him behind her, bringing his body to her tent.

"The Gr.. I really hope you're okay. You seem pretty hurt, but nothing my extraordina... the basic healing and mending skills won't fix." She laid him on a white cloth she magically laid on the ground next to her tent, pulling a book out from its depths as a reference guide on how to heal the enigmatic being who had fallen from the sky.

**-END OF PART 1-**

* * *

><p><strong><span>I see a lot of you held concerns as to the fact this story was going to end soon. I had initially planned this to be only a mere 12 chapters. However, as I approached it, I bumped it to 16, then 20. So yes, you were right in guessing that this story would end soon. However, if you are enjoying it, you are in luck.<span>**

**The story will occur in several "parts". They're like books, but in all honesty, they're going to stay in this one story. Its the same world. Same characters (plus a few more) and I feel like parts haven't really been closed up. Ending it now would be pure evil in my opinion. I mean, I'm the author and I have questions, so you guys probably do too. Speaking of which...**

**If you have questions that the story has left unanswered so far, please PM me and let me know all of them. While I won't send a response telling you what the answers are, I will incorporate them into the story's new chapters to help answer them the best I can. Oh, I will send you guys a message telling you I received it of course.**

**So the first part of the saga has come to a close, but many questions, if not more than before, exist. This story, my friends, isn't over quite yet.  
><strong>

**Read on fellow bronies! Remember to review!  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19: Nyx

**-Canterlot-**

The city's final repairs had just finished. Two years... it had taken two years to return the city to its formal glory. The events that transpired... they were somehow still unknown. People didn't understand how something could have happened like that.

...but it was over, that was all that mattered to them. The Princess herself had made sure several contradicting rumors – none of which were even remotely close to the truth – had made it into the public. However, over time, even those rumors died down. The books merely considered it an "unnatural tragedy, whose cause remains unknown" and life went on as usual.

In fact, the city of Canterlot, if anything, was more grandeur than before. The streets were repaved with gold and marble, the fountains sparkled with perfect beauty. The waterfalls around the city, even, seemed to shimmer with more beauty than before.

And that day in particular was the most special of all. The castle, the last structure in the city to actually be repaired (at the insistence of the two princesses, the labor prioritized the rest of the city first), was finally restored to its former glory. If it wasn't, it was more glorious and beautiful than before. Even the stain-glass windows had been remade to perfect likeliness of their predecessors. Of course, there was a new one.

Depicted on the black window were two golden crowns, they took up the majority of the window's space. However, on the top were two unicorns. One was black and the other purple.

There was a large crowd in front of the castle, there was a ceremony and all of the city was there to see it reopened, and as thanks for their help, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and AppleJack were all there.

It was a joyous day, the castle was finally rebuilt. It was as marvelous as could be.

But as Celestia looked through the crowd, she could not see the one pony she had hoped to see the most. Her faithful student, Twilight.

**-The Forests Below Canterlot-**

Twilight was back where she spent much of her time these past few years. Within the forest was a small clearing, and two years ago, the forest itself had been in blazes. The forest already was back to its past self, both in beauty and size. Two years was a little fast, even with unicorn magic, but nobody questioned it. Everyone was just glad to see the forest back in its beautiful state.

However, there was a small clearing that was very different than before. Twilight sat there, staring at the marble slab. On it were simply carved words, etched into the marble with expert precision. However, Twilight felt they were too simple – not decorative enough to serve their function.

"He is Nobody. Remember his sacrifice."

The slab had appeared on its own around the time that the forest began to regrow.

However, she stared beyond the slab, where there was a small lake, the water more pure than anything she had seen before. It had appeared at the same time the grave marker had appeared. The sun glimmered off of each miniscule wave the small breeze in the air created.

She laid there, thinking of those few days that she had spent with that boy. She thought of his kind moments, his determination. His smile. His sacrifice.

"Sorrow is simply happiness remembered." A voice quietly spoke out from behind. She looked up from the lake and to the white winged unicorn that had landed behind her. She smiled lightly at the sight of the regal princess.

"Yeah... I wish there was more happiness while it lasted." Twilight looked to her mentor with a weak smile.

"That's a natural want, dear student." Celestia smiled, but her eyes gave away her slight guilt. She wanted to let her know that the Castle's reopening was about to happen, but at the same time, her student seemed so... so... content with where she was. She decided to let her student decide. The princess knew, Twilight had tried to pull a veil over her wounds. She pretended that she was fine around others, but... she knew the truth. She had killed her friend. Every time she thought of him... all she really felt inside was pain and guilt for what she did.

The winged-unicorn took in a breath, "Twilight, I... I understand the castle's opening is today..."

She was cut off, the unicorn had stood up. In the two years that had passed, she was more quiet than she used to be. She still laughed, still smiled, still spent time with her friends... but there was something about her that just seemed different.

She just seemed so much less... innocent. "Its okay princess, I guess I just... lost track of time is all." She smiled, she closed her eyes, a small teardrop falling.

The princess looked at her student with a loving look, "If you really want... you can stay here. He was your friend, and after a-"

The purple unicorn embraced her mentor, shocking the former pony to stop talking. "Its okay Princess. If I stayed here forever, nothing would ever get done." She smiled, and this time, the princess could tell, it really was one of joy, one that came from the bottom of her heart.

The both turned to leave, and Twilight looked once more back at the lake. A small look of surprise crossed her face and Celestia noted it, but when she looked to the location Twilight had been looking, she saw nothing. She shrugged.

Both decided to walk back to Canterlot, the grassy field around them littered with small markers for the many ponies who had bravely defended Cantlerlot two years prior.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds-**

"You bring this up every meeting, Light. It gets old after a while," a deity spoke around the crystalline table that had finally been replaced.

They were not in the dark world the figures had left. The land had reformed, no longer was it the plateau surrounded by the cooled sea of lava. It had started a new cycle. There was a sky with many clouds in it, a deep blue that rivaled the sea the surrounded the gods. There lacked a sun, as there was no time, it was always "day". The plateau was now a rock slab, just high enough to evade the small ripples in the water, its depth unknown even to them. Yes, in the past two years, the world had been reborn, much like Philomena, the playful phoenix of Princess Celestia.

Thus its name. The Birth and the End.

Thus was its nature, an eternal cycle of life and death.

Light stood at the front. "We created this to get things done. I just want to know if any of the gods have reported the missing soul to us!"

The Gods, at the absence of their old leaders, took the initiative to create a form of assembly. Seven gods, including Ace, Aria, and Light, became the guides of the deities. They managed to keep enough organization to prevent any destabilization after the Figures had vanished. All of the previous gods from two years ago, excluding one – which had refused on the grounds that 'these trivial matters need not concern' him. It was good for both parties, the god would not have to devote time to this assembly, and a majority vote could be used to decide matters concerning gods.

Light was angry at this moment. They had complied with his requests for two years to search for the mortal called "Leon" to no avail. Every world had been combed with a fine-toothed comb, but the boy seemed to be nowhere.

"Light, have you ever considered, Twilight had the power of the figures too you know. If that's the case, the kid could have really been killed two years ago, spirit and all." A female god spoke.

Light stood there, closed his eyes, and calmly took a deep breath. He looked down in defeat. "My actions have been selfish throughout these past few years. People tend to think the side they are on is the side of good, but even the most virtuous fall victim to being corrupted, I suppose." He looked up.

"I caused this entire ordeal, and many of you here realize this." He looked around, no god gave any sign of expression, including Ace and Aria, "But damn it, I'll keep being selfish. The boy can't be dead. Even the figures couldn't kill a soul possessing a mortal body. He has to..."

Another god stood up from where they had been sitting. "Quiet you fool! You know as well anyone here the boy had complications. He was damned anyways. The powers of the figures didn't need to finish the boy off! His soul was dying anyways!"

Light paused. The god was right. If Leon was still around in some other world... Leon would more than likely have gone beyond the point of saving. He would soon become nothingness, if he hadn't already. He was defeated. He had hoped somehow, with his resources he would have been able to find the pony he had condemned to a fate far worse than hell. Still, it was to no avail.

"Now let's continue on with other things, this meeting wasn't just called for Light to complain after all," a god spoke.

Aria stood up from her seat and walked over to Light; he seemed to be looking at the table, a mixture of sadness, defeat, and regret splattered over his face. She whispered into his ear, "I always thought your only love was Equestria. I suppose you might have grown a heart these past few years, haven't you."

Light looked up at her and smiled. "I guess so..."

His hunt for Leon was over. It was fruitless, but nonetheless, his will to continue searching for the boy was gone.

**-Trixie's Tent-**

I slowly opened my eyes to see a forest, with sunlight barely piercing through the leaves. It seemed to be late in the afternoon and the sun was setting. Over to the right, I heard a pony sigh, and I heard a page turn. I looked over be turning my head and the pony why had made the noise smiled at me.

"So the mysterious unicorn stirs?" She said, " I am The Great an.."

She paused, looking slightly annoyed with herself. I wasn't sure why, but it was her problem, not mine. "I am Trixie... I am glad to see you are awake."

I was aching, pain coursing through every inch of my body. I groaned, and tried to move.

"You shouldn't move yet, you were severely injured when I found you, and even though medical magic is something I am..." She paused again, trying to force out the next few words, "something I am not good at..." She sighed and closed her eyes. It seemed this unicorn was struggling with herself about how she spoke. "I tried my best to do what I could. I'm glad to see you are doing well."

She stood up from what she was reading and sat down next to me. "Who might you be? ... I was wondering how you might have ended up like this..."

A jolt of pain that dwarfed all of the aches my body felt went through my mind as I tried to recall who I was and how I had been placed in this situation.

"I... I don't..." I spoke as if I had not done so in years.

She looked at me, "Amnesia? Is that it? If that's the case, I guess questioning you won't do anything good. Just... forget what I said." She stood up and turned towards a large black pot that was over a fire. She magically levitated a bowl to her and placed some of the contents of the pot into the bowl. She did so with a second.

She brought them over to me, sat on the ground, and smiled. "I've spent these past three years alone, so its nice to have company once in a while."

I looked at her, still not comfortable speaking. She really did seem lonely, I wondered what had brought her to be placed in a secluded area like this. "I used to go by the name The Great and Powerful Trixie, but something happened and I realized I was acting like a filly. Since then I've been on my own. I really haven't broken most of my... habits, even after three years..."

She levitated two spoons over to her, one into each bowl. "Go ahead and eat the soup while its still warm."

I simply stared at her, completely still, like I was some vegetable. Her face softened even more, "Its okay. Eat whenever you feel like it." She stood up, taking a bowl with her as she began to retreat to her tent.

"Twilight Sparkle." It came out of my mouth involuntarily. It was not loud, but enough that Trixie stopped. Her bowl and spoon fell to the ground. She turned around in surprise.

"Twilight... Sparkle?" She looked at me wide-eyed, "You know Twilight Sparkle?"

I looked at her, and spoke as if I was out of breath, "I don't know... Just the name seems... familiar."

Trixie began to walk towards the pony, curious as to his connection with the purple unicorn.

"I'm not sure... Trixie. I really am not sure at all." I slowly shifted my gaze to follow her, she seemed to be thinking back to the past. I wasn't sure why.

She thought to herself, "Maybe meeting her would be able to repair his memory... No... I'd rather avoid the unicorn..." She debated to herself about what to do. She was trying to become more selfless, but taking him to meet the unicorn that had embarrassed her. She wasn't quite sure if she could do that yet. She smiled to me.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll remember soon enough." She smiled at me.

"Does the name mean anything to you, Trixie?" She seemed taken off-guard by the question.

"To The- I- me- ..." She seemed to be thinking a million thoughts at once on her face. Finally she sighed. "Me? Nope, it really does not mean anything to The Great a- to me. Don't worry."

I guess I wasn't good at reading faces... right? Its not like I could remember doing it before.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

The crowd all cheered as the sun finally descended. The Princesses both led the crowd into the new ballroom. A party - whose size was easily that of the Grand Galloping Gala and whose energy was enough for even Pinkie Pie to get her fill – ensued. The Princesses even joined in with the festivities, letting people come and go as they pleased instead of doing their normal role of greeting people at the entrance.

While a few of the upper-class Canterlot citizens seemed surprised by how "rowdy" the party was, it was not long before even they joined in with the less-than-flattering games, such as Princess Luna's favorite, bobbing for apples.

Tonight was a night to dance and laugh and party, upper-class or not.

Twilight was with her closest friends, all were laughing, enjoying how different this was than their first encounter with a party hosted at Canterlot Castle. The Gala? It was nowhere near as entertaining as this. All of the friends had seemed to had two years of magnificent luck, each being able to achieve many of their dreams. Of course, none of them did it alone, and all worked together to help accomplish the dreams of their friends.

AppleJack and Big Mac had, in the past two years, successfully expanded their Apple Farm to be double the size it previously was. Many people seemed to take a second look when buying apples. "Ponyville Apples" always seemed to just be so much more delicious than the competition. Ponyville, in several food magazines, had even been referenced as "One of the two Apple Capitals of Equestria, right beside Appleloosa."

Rarity was an even bigger success, becoming the go-to fashion designer for almost all of the celebrities in Equestia. It was hard to walk through any stores in Canterlot without seeing her clothes somewhere on exhibit. After several magazines had placed her dresses on front pages at around the same time, her business had taken off as demand for her unique, and extremely beautiful clothes skyrocketed.

Fluttershy also was happy. She was still shy, so she didn't step into the limelight like her friends, but even the most dangerous of beasts in Everfree forest would become as gentle as a kitten around her. She had become an expert on the most obscure of creatures, and a few veterinarians -known as the best in the veterinary scene- even went through the effort of contacting her when they were confused over one of their creatures.

Pinkie Pie was fairly content as well. Ponyville was much more busy what with AppleJack's orchard and Rarity's popularity as a clothing designer. The small town that was Ponyville was now one of the most unusual places in Equestria. It had people of all types moving there, or just coming to visit. It had gone from a small town to one that was fairly large in the span of two short years. And everyone just seemed to gather at the small, bustling bakery known as Sugarcube Corner.

Then there was Rainbow Dash. She wasn't a Wonderbolt. Nope, while it had always been her life dream, the Wonderbolts just weren't considered the #1 fliers in Equestria anymore. I mean, the Princess herself asked for a special team of pegasi to represent Canterlot when it came to flying shows. It was a morale boost for the citizens to see the shows after the destruction of the city Of course, she went to Rainbow Dash, who – together with ex-Wonderbolt member Spitfire - created the most magnificent shows Equestria had ever seen.

However, as these ponies talked with Twilight, she was approached by one of the newest members of the newest member's of Equestria's #1 flying team: Scootaloo. She had learned to fly, and had become one of the most talented new fliers in Equestria, and with Rainbow Dash's help, she was almost good enough to compete in some of the shows.

"Hey!" She called over to Twilight. She seemed significantly more mature than she used to be, and though she still looked young, she was as confident as could be, "Princess Luna told me that it I saw you, to let you know she and her sister were looking for you."

Twilight looked back to her friends, "Sorry guys. Looks like I'm needed for something." Her friends looked back at her and smiled.

"Okay Twi, jus' have some fun with whatever 'yall gotta do." Applejack said with a knowing smile.

Twilight wasn't sure what that was all about, as all of her friends seemed to be looking at her, but she shrugged and followed Scootaloo towards the Princesses.

**-Trixie's Tent-**

I had been napping, but the fire had finally died and the cold got to me. Trixie was in her tent, asleep under blankets. She had offered some to me, but I refused them seeing as the fire was already extremely warm. I began to regret that decision.

Shivering, I tried to get the strength to lift myself up, but the pain in my body refused to go away, it felt almost as if I was speared by an invisible weapon, and that the weapon was embedded into the ground.

Finally, I managed to roll over, and as I struggled to get up on my legs, I heard a voice call out from behind me. "So now what are you doing? Don't you remember what I said about moving?"

I had managed to get into a sitting position, with part of my weight supported by my hooves. However, I was tired and collapsed to the ground.

Trixie did a small laugh out of amusement, however, I was anything but. I didn't want to lay around. I felt like I had to... to... to do something. I wasn't sure what it was, but I could just figure it out on the way.

"Well you seem pretty active for it being nighttime." Trixie smiled at me in a sincere fashion, suddenly, however, she jumped. She exclaimed, "Oh!" before smiling.

I looked at her with my chin on the ground with confusion plastered all over my face. However, I was silent.

"You know what, you need a name. How about Nyx!" She smiled at me.

Nyx. That meant Night. I guess it was better than nothing. I smiled at her. "Okay, Nyx it is."

* * *

><p><strong><span>This was meant more the bridge the gap between Leon's Death and Now than it was to progress the story. It is a bit more boring than normal, but I just couldn't seem to focus what with my late college classes and AP english.<span> Its been hell these past few days trying to get free time. Still, I'm having fun writing this, and I really appreciate your reviews. Remember to message your questions to me and I'll be sure to answer them in the story. Read on Fellow Bronies!  
><strong>

**P.S. Thanks to user tytyvm for reading this and letting me know I made some typos. I really don't get to proofread these as much as I wish I could. I've been horribly busy, and finding time to even write these is difficult enough.  
><strong>


	20. Chapter 20: Two Places at Once

**-Earth, 2 years after Leon's Death-**

I woke up on a bench, I was in jogging pants and wore a black hoodie. I was in a park, and a yellow street light lit up the area I was sleeping. What was I doing here? Oh yeah... I just died in Equestria.

...Whatever. Guess I'm back. But who cares?

I got up from the bench and began walking towards my apartment. Things seemed different, time must have passed since I died in Equestria. Or here, maybe Equestria's events were a long time after this worlds. Oh well, it wasn't important. But as I looked around, I really didn't feel anything. No nostalgia. No sadness. No elation. Nothing.

I got up from the bench and walked towards the street, my old apartment being my goal. I knew it would no longer be mine, but the owner, whom I knew fairly well, could get me up to speed on what happened while I was gone.

"Kid, its dangerous to be out at night like this." A voice called out from behind me, it was deep and slightly raspy. "Now I suggest you hand over whatever money you got as a token of appreciation for my warning."

I turned to face the man, who I now saw had a large build and a gun in hand. I smiled and shrugged, "You never know how dangerous a stranger can be."

The man smiled and pointed a gun at me. "You're right, now hand over your money."

Suddenly a voice flashed through my mind, through I couldn't remember exactly who it was that had said it. _"What is a gun? You mentioned it before... but I have no idea what it is." _Then I heard Princess Celestia's voice, _"I'll let the subject of this end here."_

I let my smile fade from my face and my voice deepened slightly as I looked on at the man. "I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about me." Within moments, the man found I had closed the gap, knocking him onto the ground. I quickly stripped the gun out of his hand and threw it a distance away before punching the ground next to his face.

He was standing on a tar road, and yet the road, not my fist, gave way when I struck the ground. I spoke to him with no hint of emotion on my face, "It's dangerous to be out at night like this. Now I suggest you hand over whatever money you own as a token of appreciation." He simply nodded his head out of fear.

I may have given away my powers to... somebody, I couldn't seem to remember who, but I still seemed to have a bit left in me. I smiled to myself. Not that I really cared. I wasn't really feeling all that emotional.

I got up from the ground, the money would come in handy. He ran towards his gun, stumbling, as I placed my hands in my pockets and nonchalantly walked around the corner, with a few hundred bucks of spending money in my pockets.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Twilight was led to Celestia's balcony. In front of her was the magnificent being known as Light. He was looking at the moon, like the night he resigned from his job as Equestria's Guardian.

He stood silently as Twilight walked in, she had swapped escorts, from Scootaloo to the Princesses, on the way to the room. It was obvious he was thinking, about what, however, was another thing.

"Twilight, I've spent these past few years looking for Leon." He said with an unusual stillness. "And I've come to the conclusion..." He paused, and he looked down. His regal stature was shattered as he spun around, sat down and looked at the unicorn. "I need your help to find him."

She looked surprised. "Me? Why?"

Light looked at her, "The form of ruling body we have now has withdrawn their support. At this moment, I'm not totally ready to give up this search for him.

The Princesses sat there, but the older of the two turned around and departed from the room. She hadn't any idea as to what was going on, or why Light had summoned her student after two years, but she had other plans. This party was simply a ruse for another purpose.

**-Nyx's Location-**

I looked at the unicorn next to me. She was sitting and smiling as I lied on the ground.

"I give up..." I said, exhausted. My legs were splayed out as I had tried to sit up. It was just too difficult. Trixie audibly laughed out of amusement.

"I told you that you shouldn't be doing that. What's gonna happen once you sit up anyways?" She smiled, she was less tense than before, and though there was the occasional stutter with referring to herself in third person, it was not nearly as common (or noticeable). Suddenly, she stopped and tilted her head. "Say... You wouldn't happen to be into... magic would you?"

I looked at her and responded with a smile, "I never could do magic! I can remember that..." She looked shocked. A unicorn that couldn't do magic?

She smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure you have other talents though. They just need their chance to show. The G- … Just make sure not to brag too much once they do, okay?"

I smiled, but it didn't take magic to realize she was remembering something unpleasant. I simply looked at her unknowingly. I guess that's life: good things happen, but so do bad.

I decided to change the subject. "So, do you know any ways I could... you know... help get back my memory?" She looked at me with a shocked expression. It were as if I had taken her off-guard

"Me? I mean, why would I- I mean- There isn't- Ponyville-" She stuttered, not completing a single though throughout her babbling. Then she snapped and reverted to her old habits, "The Great and Powerful Trixie knows nopony named Twilight Sparkle! She Swears!" She covered her mouth with her hooves, less out of realizing she had reverted to her old habits and more because she realized she revealed her lies about not knowing the pony. I hadn't mentioned her, yet Trixie had brough her up, as if it were connected with her thoughts.

I looked at her with little expression on my face; I hated to press the pony who had helped and protected me, but this was my best chance at remembering my past. I looked to the light-blue pony and said, matter-of-factly, "You're lying."

She looked down in defeat. She was caught. She brought a sad smile to her face and finally looked back at my face. "I guess I have a story to tell you."

**-Leon's Location-**

It was morning and I was walking down the street. I found my old apartment had closed down, so now I was wandering around trying to figure out where to go. Lost in though, I bumped into a kid around my age.

"Watch where you're going punk." I continued to walk. He called out from behind me, "You hear me! Jerk! Hey, listen to me!" He ran up behind me and grabbed my shoulder, and when I spun around to face hi, she stumbled backwards.

"Y-you!" He stood there. "L-leon?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Yeah." I turned around. I knew who he was, a classmate of mine. The name was Alaric. I really didn't care or anything.

"What the hell man, the news said you were dead two years ago!" I kept walking without interest as he tried to keep up.

"So. Obviously I'm not." I said, hands in my pockets.

"Dude, the hell is with you. You were distant back then... but now it like you don't have emotions."

I stopped and looked at him. I realized what he was saying... it was true. But then I just didn't care. "Yeah? You don't say." I once again resumed my walking. It was a small world, wasn't it. Two years and on the first day someone already recognizes me. I didn't really care, but he'd be a good source of information.

"So what's happened these past two years?" I said plainly. He began on a rant about dozens of subject, and all of it began to blend together. However, a single phrase stood out.

"...and my brother's become some "brony". Some fan of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Obsesses over a pegasus named Fluttershy and th-"

I cut him off then and there and stopped. "Wait, you said Fluttershy?"

He stopped with me. "Yeah, so?"

I thought to myself, _My Little Pony?_ I laughed, I remembered that as a kid's show. So guys had gotten into it. His brother was a year older than him after all.

"I have to go." I simply stated, not bothering to come up with an excuse. I sprinted down the nearby alley, leaped across the wall, and grabbed the fire escape. I quickly ran up it to see the town from the streets above. Where was the local library again? They have the internet right?

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Twilight was doing what Light had asked, she searched and searched, her presence probing through the countless worlds at speeds incomprehensible by any other being. It was exhausting work, and to Luna it seemed she had just lowered her head and closed her eyes, but it was obvious she was concentrating. She had not known she could do this, but as soon as she tried, it was almost as if she had done the task all her life.

"I... I think I see him!" Twilight suddenly snapped out of her trance with a smile on her face, but as soon as she had snapped out of her trance and shouted it, something in her mind snapped and she fell over, out cold.

Luna was obviously worried, every aspect of her presence screamed "What happened!" Light smiled at her.

"She simply overexerted herself, she'll be fine. Just give her five minutes. Her body should readjust in a few minutes."

Luna sighed. "You know, this probably wasn't the best time to ask this you know."

Light did an awkward smile. "I know, its why you are holding this party. But... I guess I was impatient." He chuckled.

"You can ask for her help after the party. She doesn't know it yet, nor do most of the people at the party, but she's the guest of honor. What's going to happen is a secret between her closest friends and my sister. Oh, and me."

"And me" Light laughed. Luna smiled. Can't exactly keep a secret from a God, can you?

**-Leon's Location-**

"So you're this Leon kid Light's been all worked up about? Not that impressive if I do say so myself." A brown-haired kid said. He was in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

I had navigated to the top of the building, and this kid was already there, as if he had known I was going there.

"So you must be the God of Earth." I said as a reply. He smiled, it was almost scary.

"Nah, good guess though. I'm like Ace and Aria. I kill people. Its fun." He laughed.

I smiled. "You can't kill me." It wasn't said in a confident way. Simply, I had stated it as a matter-of-fact thing.

He paused, "I wasn't going to. I spent two years in this boring dump trying to find your sorry ass. I dunno why, but one of the 'big guys' is freaking out. He's like 'Everyone look for Leon!'" He waved his hands around, satirizing Light, "Well, I found you, and I guess I should bring you back."

He summoned fourth a small armada of daggers, including one in his hand. I responded by sprinting towards him, deftly avoiding any and all of his attacks. It was simple, kill the stranger. Then he'd leave me alone.

I couldn't summon fourth any weapons, the Figures Power had gone. Mostly.

I could still move like no tomorrow.

I was behind him before he could attack, but as I went to strike, his daggers intercepted my strike. Even through my fist was unguarded, they didn't even cut from the silver weapons.

"Damn, you're gonna be more obnoxious to capture than I'd hoped." He spun around and grabbed my left arm with his right and went strike my face with the other. I leaned back and struck at his arm, he quickly let go and leaped back to avoid my punch. Even before he had laded, I moved quickly, running past his daggers to get behind him and struck out with my fist.

His reactions were fast but not fast enough, he spun around as he tried to dodge my punch, which struck his upper arm. It wasn't a perfect strike, but the glancing blow was enough. He flew backwards as an audible snap resounded.

"Well crap, looks like I can't get ya." He said, panting. Without even getting up, black flames surrounded him and he vanished from view.

I stood there, not really confused - I didn't seem to feel emotions, but in my head, I thought of what the boy could have been doing here. What his connection to me was. What Light wanted with me.

Oh well. I'm here. Forget those guys.

If there was one thing I felt, it was that I didn't want to leave Earth.

**-Nyx's Location-**

I finally understood Trixie's apprehension towards meeting this purple pony. She had caused her to become a laughing-stock. However, in her story, she told it as if... she were almost... almost on Twilight's side. She seemed to describe Twilight kindly, and even ridiculed her own behavior several times in the story. She looked down, a few tears fell from her eyes.

"Trixie was so foolish..." She said.

I smiled, "But you aren't now, are you? You helped me out, and you seem like a good pony to me."

She was surprised by what I had said, it was obvious by her facial expression. "I... really? I mean I... I lied to you..."

I looked at her, still smiling. "I understand why you did it. It's okay. I mean, I'd probably do the same thing."

She finally let a smile break across her face. "I see. Thanks." She stood up, "It's almost morning, we'd better get at least a little rest tonight. She smiled.

She, instead of retreating to her tent, laid down next to me and closed her eyes. "I guess we'll go see Twilight Sparkle as soon as we can, okay?"

I was caught off-guard, "Y-you sure? I mean, Trixie..."

She must have been tired, because all that I heard as a response was her light breathing. She was already fast asleep.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Light now spoke with Twilight, "Here? Th-that's impossible! How!"

She simply stood there. "That's all I felt, just like you said. I would know when I found him." She was looking at the ground, now wondering herself if she hadn't simply convinced herself she had sensed his presence here, in Equestria.

"He's died here... How..." Light looked to the ground. However, he immediately stopped and regained his composure. "...Axel."

Behind him, in a flurry of black flame, appeared a human boy. Twilight spun around.

"So this is supposed to be the girl who has the power of the Figures? Not that impressive if ya ask me." He awkwardly laughed a weak laugh. He was slumped over and his other arm was limp.

"What happened? Any conflicts among gods should have been settled. The council has solidified their supremacy in the realm of the Gods." Light simply stated. He seemed concerned, but the thought of Leon being in Equestria still seemed to keep him preoccupied.

"I found that Leon punk you were looking for where ya stationed me." Axel said.

Light blinked, his attention had finally been caught by the boy. "Earth?" He closed his eyes and looked down, deep in thought. "Twilight, you said he was here. Did you check Earth?"

Twilight stepped back a step, "W-why yes! Of course I did! I mean-" Her voice died.

Axel laughed. "So the chick got where he was wrong, then?

Light was still thinking. "I believe both of you. That's the issue. Axel, you're a complete prick, but you know what you're doing, and you're as reliable as any other God. Twilight, you're smart and thorough. Both of you have earned my respect and trust. Neither of you have any reason to lie to me."

Twilight looked at Light, "A-are you sure, I mean I've never searched for anyone like that before. I could be wrong..."

Light looked at her. "No, I'm positive you're right. You wouldn't make that mistake. I'm sure of it. Anyways, Leon has a way with screwing around with logic. He's as bad as Pinkie Pie. There has to be a way to explain this."

Axel looked disinterested, he ranted on and on about Leon, "You know, that kid was not that surprised to see me. Did ya let him know I was coming? Actually, he didn't seem thaty prepared. Its just like he didn't care or something. He was pretty robotic too, not all confident and cocky. But then again, it wasn't like he was some robot. He didn't even have emotions. And he-"

Light stopped him, "Emotions?"

Axel smiled, "Yeah, the kid was pretty much stoic throughout the time I was watching him. Actually, it was more like he was a robot."

"That's what I thought..." Light closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I guess I have to go now. Twilight, you go on with the party. Check the pond once more before you leave Canterlot to return to Ponyville, okay? I have business to attend to. Axel, come with me."

A white gate materialized behind them, and both turned to leave. Light paused before he left. "... also... congratulations."

Twilight was puzzled, but Luna was next to her, smiling. "Looks like he's as happy as everyone else about this..."

"What do you mean, Princess?" Twilight looked to the Princess of the Night. She smiled.

"Nothing, Twilight. Now let's get back to the party okay? But first..." She materialized a beautiful white dress, its elegance something Twilight had never seen rivaled in any form of clothing. It was almost empyrean in appearance. "I suggest we dress up for the rest of the party. Rarity asked for me to surprise you with this dress, she considers it her masterpiece, as do I. I have never seen something so gorgeous created with the intent to be worn."

Indeed, it was more than worthy of even the most beautiful of beings, if all of Rarity's previous works had been combined into a single dress, it most likely would have still been shamed by this... this thing that could only be described as perfection in its finest form.

"Princess, I simply can't wear this. It... its so beautiful... but..." She looked at it. It was too beautiful to wear. Too divine to defile with use at a party. Too gorgeous to risk staining.

Luna smiled, "If you don't, who could possibly show it off to the crowd? Rarity made it just for you, after all." Twilight was torn, one of her closest friends_ had_ made it for her, after all.

"... Okay. I'll do it!" She finally said.

***10 minutes later***

She exited the room with the beautiful white dress and she walked back towards the ballroom, but before she entered the room, Princess Celestia intercepted her. "Twilight, I have a question, if you would follow me."

Twilight simply replied with an "Oh, okay princess!" As she followed the Princess of the Sun. Next to her, Luna followed.

The approached the one room in the castle that stored the sacred Elements of Harmony, and as they walked towards the entrance, Celestia stopped.

"Twilight," she turned to her faithful student. She nodded in acknowledgment.

"It has been two years since your last time in this room. It was here I stored the Elements of Harmony. Here you met Discord. Here you retook the Elements to help with the battle for Cantlerlot. Here is where your crown, along with Leon's, is stored. You know this." The Princess seemed to be searching for the right way to say something, but Twilight was unsure what it was exactly.

"Princess, I know what the room is, but why are you telling me all this?" Twilight asked.

The princess sighed. It was now or never. This was the true purpose of this party tonight. All of the guests had been informed of something important occurring in this room, but only a select few knew exactly what.

"You're done so much for Equestria, protecting it multiple times with all your heart and soul. Without you, Equestria... It wouldn't be the same. These past three years... Sadness, Loss. You've experienced that. Your friends have had their dreams come true, and I think its time to see if I can help bring yours to realization."

Celestia turned away from her student, trying to find it within her to ask she had held back all day. It was difficult trying to find the right words. "Twilight, my dear student. I was wondering... how would you feel about the title of 'Princess'?"

* * *

><p><strong><span>Okay, I've been working hard on this chapter, things are beginning to roll once again, and while the story is still getting momentum, let's see what happens.<span>**

**Life is too damn busy, and I don't know if I will be able to write over the weekend. Sadly, homework is a pain in the ass. Remember to review and tell me what you think! Any questions? PM me and let me know!**

**Read on fellow bronies!**

**Also, remember this. I'll refer to scenes with Earth Leon as "Leon" and scenes with Equestria Leon as "Nyx" if you haven't noticed already.**


	21. Chapter 21: Another Day

**-Earth, City Library-**

I sat there, typing away at the computer with lightning-fast speed. "So this show is really that big? Huh. I recognize all of these ponies... well except for this one here..."

He looked at a purple unicorn. Above her was a name, but the characters kept changing, as if they cycled through thousands of arcane symbols every moment I looked at it. "Who's she?"

Behind me I heard a laugh. "Another loser into that My Little Pony crap? Ha!" Several boys, unimpressive in appearance, walked up to the computer.

I simply ignored them, trying to understand why the name was impossible to read. This was the third site that was like this. They just seemed to be messing with me. What was this pony's name?

"So, the loser thinks we'll just disappear if he just acts deaf?" An arm reached over my shoulder and swept the keyboard and mouse away, a few chords coming lose from the computer.

"So what are angry people like you doing in a place like this?" I plastered a happy expression on my face and looked upwards towards the person whose arm had interrupted my search. I may have not had emotions, but the memories were still there, and I could fake it pretty easily.

"Shut up kid and get out of here while you still have a face." Another kid said, "Your type isn't welcome here."

Typical losers. I kept my happy expression on my face, "You still haven't answered my question, sirs. I was wondering what could possess people like you to be in a library. A sanctuary for literary enlightenment shouldn't be defiled by losers like you."

They didn't fully understand what I had just said, but it was obvious what I had said wasn't nice. One kid went to grab me my the shirt, I simply let him.

"You think you're funny, kid? At least I'm not some queer who-"

"Likes ponies? Yes, because I don't need to act tough to compensate for-"

His fist came down on my face, and, as he was already grabbing my shirt causing me to lean back, the chair tilted backward and I landed on the floor.

"Punk." The rest of the library had seen the commotion, and the librarian approached us angrily.

"Look like your time's up boys. Have fun being someplace else." I said, smiling and still in the upturned chair. The one who had struck me looked surprized I seemed so... unhurt. He'd given that punch his all, after all.

I chuckled lightly and began to get up from my chair, "Now if you excuse me..." I got up and replaced the keyboard and mouse on the computer I was using. The librarian went up to the three boys and began to scold them extremely loudly, saying things such as how she had almost called the local authorities and crap like that. I was already on my fifth site, still trying to figure out the purple unicorn's name.

"Excuse me, are you okay?" A guy walked towards me. He was thin, but his build suggested he was pretty athletic. Wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and had short black hair, "That guy didn't seem to be holding back when he punched you in the face."

I continued typing away at the computer. "I'm fine." was all I muttered, concentrating on the task at hand.

"So what's up with you staring at all those articles about Tw- Sp-?" The stranger asked.

I looked at him. "What did you say?"

"Oh, I was just wondering why you were looking at all that information about Tw- Sp-. I happen to be a Brony too ya know." the man smiled, "the name is Shale. Its a stupid name, I know, but it's mine."

He smiled. "So who happens to be your favorite of the mane six?"

I looked at him, "I'm afraid I don't have one. I was simply doing research is all. I have no interest in the show." It was the truth. Still, this purple pony seemed familiar, why couldn't I remember who it was?

Shale was obviously disappointed, "Well you should try it, it's a pretty good show. Once you give it a shot."

I sighed and continued typing, before trying once again to see if I could hear her name. Hey Shale, what was this pony's name again? He turned to face me. "Tw- Sp-" I shook my head.

Guess I wasn't going to figure out her name quite yet.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

The audience gasped at the unicorn entered the room. Her beauty was stunning. The dress fit her perfectly, and the most well-dressed ponies began to look at their own garb, now dissatisfied with what they wore. It was difficult for the crowd to keep off their eyes as she walked in, and at the back of the room was one very, VERY excited Rarity. Her dress was even more beautiful than imagined.

She walked down the aisle, slightly trailing the two other princesses, on either side were the numerous ponies fortunate enough to attend the party. The room itself was decorated beautifully, a carpet down the middle of beautiful red, ribbons of blue and purple trimming the room, and hundreds of candles lit up the room.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts!" Princess Celestia said when she reached the front of the room, as she stood next to two golden crowns. Behind them, out of sight of the crowd, as a simply-decorated tiara, silver in appearance. However, at the center of the tiara, in an ovular shape, was an area that seemed to morph, ever so naturally, into gold. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Beautiful in its grandeur. How it was possible to meld the polar opposites into a single tiara was beyond even the Princess's comprehension.

The gold in the silver.

The sun in the night sky.

Twilight.

"Today marks a special day." She said, it was almost awe inspiring as she said it, Twilight and Luna made their way behind the white winged-unicorn. "But no! It isn't just the day this castle rises. Its much more than that." She was trying to be showy, behind her, she sensed the purple pony's embarrassment. She smiled to herself on the inside. Teasing her student,. No matter the situation, just never seemed to get old. "Twilight Sparkle, please, step forward."

From behind her, the beautifully dressed unicorn walked next to the princess and looked to her face. To her, the crowd no longer existed. It was just her and her teacher. She looked up, and the princess looked back down to her.

"Today marks the rise of Canterlot's newest royal member. Twilight Sparkle, if you will."

The purple pony understood what the princess asked, and she bowed, lowering her head to the ground. Behind her, the crowd was caught completely off guard. Some guessed (and failed) at what would happen next, others were totally clueless, but nopony, outside of Twilight's friends, knew what was about to happen.

Behind her, the tiara that had been hidden out of view was carried by Luna as she placed the crown upon Twilight's head. Luna completed what Celestia had started. "And arise, Princess Twilight!"

The crowd was silent only long enough to comprehend what had happened. As Twilight stood up from the bow, a roar of cheers erupted from among the crowd. She had become somewhat known throughout Equestria for her connection to the Elements and her key role in stopping the Battle of Canterlot, but this turn of events was extremely unexpected. Her? A princess? Oh well, obviously it wasn't unwelcome to the people in the crowd.

_Twilight, we wanted to do this sooner, but... we also wanted you to have a coronation worth remembering. After the events in the Battle of Canterlot, where me and my sister... died, well... We realized we couldn't rule forever... And we want a capable pony to be there... just in case worst does come to worst. Twilight, would you do me the honor of taking this title?_

Twilight turned to face the cheering crowd, feeling elation like never before. To her, this moment of her life was one she could never forget.

"Congratulations, Twilight. It looks like you're finally grown up." Princess Celestia looked to her, happiness on both ponies' faces. Twilight did the only thing she could think of doing, hugging her long-time teacher with a complete smile.

"Thank you, Princess." Twilight said with tears of happiness in her eyes.

And with that, the crowd joined the princesses up on the platform, both because of the joy they felt for the new Princess and to have a chance to be the first to touch the new Princess Twilight.

And yet, in the back of her mind, a single thought lingered. Not necessarily of sorrow, but more out of curiosity, "I wonder what Leon would be thinking right now if he knew what just happened?" For the first time in the past two years, when she remembered Leon, instead of crying, she smiled. She actually smiled.

And with that, the party resumed with even more vigor and joy than before.

The new Princess of Equestria was born.

**-Ponyville-**

Me and Trixie walked into town. It was here that she claimed Twilight Sparkle lived, many people seemed to ignore us, but a couple ponies who did notice us seemed to give us an odd look. It was unnerving, but for Trixie, who the looks seemed to be directed at, it was infinitely worse. These residents must have been present during her show, but oh well. As we walked through town, I suddenly realized where we were walking.

And with that, I leaped up to the rooftops and sprinted across town, over each of the buildings at breakneck speed. It seemed so... familiar. And when I finally finished my crazy leaps, I found myself in front of a tree, that seemed to double up as a building. I sat down and stared at it. A flurry of emotions seemed to rush through me, though many just seemed to appear out of thin air. Disappointment, anger, happiness, comfort. These feeling all rushed through me. Why?

I sat there for several minutes before finally looking away from the tree house. I saw, rounding the corner, was a panting Trixie. She looked slightly upset, and her mane was a but ruffled (probably from the running) but when she finally got to the house, her gasping prevented her from speaking.

"Sorry Trixie, I really don't know what came over me there... It just seemed like... like I had to do it..."

She looked up, and she smiled. "The Great and Powerful Trixie could never do that. And me? Well I can't do it either."

I smiled and laughed. For a moment, I had thought she was going to talk in third person again. I smiled and we knocked on the door.

Then, as I knocked, a feeling of dread came over me. _What if... what I a place all my hopes in this pony.. what if I'm let down... What if..._

It just seemed as if... as if it had happened before. I backed up in fear and blended into the crowd.

"Sorry Trixie..." She turned around and looked at me, a bit sadly, but with understanding. How did she know what I felt? Still, I didn't get angry, and I backed up into the crowd.

Then, from within the depths of the tree, the entrance opened. Instead of a pony answering the door, a purple dragon did. He looked up and stumbled backwards, with an audible "Aah!" Standing in front of this dragon were a being from the past. "Trixie wh-what are you doing here!"

I had stood back, where he couldn't see me. I just seemed... apprehensive to go inside. Trixie turned around, but she seemed to understand my intentions, and she walked in with Spike, who closed the door behind her.

**-Ponyville Library-**

Trixie entered, and it was abovious there was no love lost, at least on Spike's end. "So, what do _you_ want? Come here to challenge Twilight? You know as well as I do whose better."

She stood there, and did a sad smile. "The Great and P- I came here looking for Twilight, yes. But Trix- I'm not here for a rematch. I... It was wrong of me to act the way I did those years ago. I've stopped my show, if you haven't heard..."

Spike actually looked genuinely surprised. "So... you-"

"Learned my lesson? Yes. I did..." Trixie bowed her head. "But I... I need to know. Is there any way I can meet Twilight. Not me, but a friend I met a few days ago... he needs to meet her." This was difficult for Trixie, humbling herself on behalf of another pony, but here she was. It was her chance to be... not her. That was reason enough. Besides, that black unicorn was kinda cute after all.

"Look, Trixie. I can't help ya anyways. Sorry, but Twilight's in Canterlot for the reopening of the Castle. She isn't gonna be in Ponyville for a few days. Anyways, how can I trust you?"

Trixie was surprised it took that long for the question to arise. And yet, she found herself still unprepared for the question. "I..." She bowed her head upset before closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, and looked directly at Spike.

"I don't need you to trust me. I just need Twilight to. You say she's in Canterlot? We... Me and my friend. We'll find her! I... I need to help my friend." Trixie seemed different from before. She... was she sincere?

The purple dragon sighed. "Whatever." he walked over and grabbed a feather, dipping it into an inkwell before beginning to write. "Go whenever you like, she'll probably still be in Canterlot."

"Okay, The G- I'll be on my way, I suppose..." Trixie wasn't sure how to react as she walked out of the door. "Nyx, its time we head to Canterlot."

**-Canterlot Castle-**

A letter's arrived, Princess. A guard knocked on the door of a guest room. Inside was Twilight. While she was royalty, no room had been made for her. She had requested to stay in Ponyville for the time being, and both of the other Princesses agreed that it would be a wonderful idea.

And so, as she was packing, she was surprised to see a guard enter with a scroll in his hand. He bowed and set it by her feet, where she levitated it and read the contents.

"_Hey Twilight. Trixie was looking for you, she's here in Ponyville again. I dunno whether or not to trust her, but at least she's speaking normal, and whatever it is, its gotta be important. I mean, a lot of the people here really dislike her. She says she needs help or something. She's heading to Canterlot to meet you. I hope you're doing okay. -Spike"_

Twilight smiled. So she's here? "Well, I guess I'd better hear her out. I mean, she says its her friend who needs help? I wonder who it could be...

She closed her eyes and walked by the still bowing guard. "You don't need to bow, you know!" She laughed and walked out of the room. It was kind of weird knowing they were bowing to her.

"Yes, Princess." He said as he followed her out.

**-Leon's Grave-**

Twilight walked towards the crystal lake. "I wonder what Light meant, asking me to check here again."

A wind arose, sending small ripples across the pristine lake, and causing the grass in the area to shimmer as the sun reflected off of it. And, by the base of the marble slab, she heard a rippling of pages turning.

"The King..." She walked over to the slab and looked down. Pages rippled, and her mind was flooded with memories of the events from two years prior.

"Leon..." Her tears hit the ground before the pages had finished rippling. On the second-to-last page, it stopped.

"The End" It was a white page. Underneath the text was Leon's body, laying lifeless.

Twilight took several steps back in horror as the memory of his death flooded through her eyes. "NO! NO! NO!" She covered her face with her hooves and began panting, tears streaming from her eyes.

She heard his voice, panting, just like he had said them when he was dying. "Twilight... I really mean it... These past few days... They were incredible. I... I never knew that I would be so... so lucky to ever meet someone... like you."

And Light's voice also echoed through her mind, "Had he stayed immortal, _you_ would have died, Twilight."

Her tears, however, kept falling.

_Leon. This book has no end. Make one._ This was nopony's voice. She looked up, trying to understand what had happened.

And she heard Leon respond to the voice. "I am God's messenger. I will not let him succeed."

The wind turned the last page, and she walked over to it. Her friends. The Princess. Equestria. This page somehow showed it all. Her friends were laughing, the forest was alive and filled with wildlife. The Princesses were laughing over a cup of tea. The coronation for a young pony taking place.

And at the corner was a chess set. On it stood two white pieces. Both wore crowns, and she knew who they signified. One was hers, and the other... it was covered in cracks.

Above it was a single word. "Checkmate."

She closed her eyes. It... was this the happy ending she'd missed?

...No... She'd have given it all up. She missed him too much. To have killed him...

"Leon..."

And the mysterious, deep voice that had spoken before, the voice that belonged to nopony... It once again spoke out to her.

"The End."

And with that, the book encompassed itself in flames. In its stead was a plain, black book titled, Another Day.

"The story wasn't written by the Gods, by the Figures, by me. The story was written by you. By Leon. By the defenders of Equestria."

She looked as the book shimmered with ethereal light. It seemed to hover in the air, around it were crystalline specks of light that seemed to have a definite form. However, as she reached for the book with her hoof, they showed their true nature. They moved away from her hoof, but as she attempted to open the book, it refused to budge.

She didn't fight it. The King was the same way, after all. It only reveals things you don't ask for. "I guess I'll keep it. I can wait.

However, as she went to move it, the light that engulfed the book seemed to stop her.

She stood still, hoof still on the book. She smiled, it looks like it was safe here.

**-The Halls of Eternity-**

The entire world was a palace of grandeur. Grass and marble fountains of immense size lined the white path to the base of the staircase at the entrance of the beautiful structure. What was not decorated in gold flakes, jade trim, jewels, or paintings was either an elegant carving or a regal carpet. It was a building too impeccably perfect to exist in the realm of the mortal.

As it was, Gods found themselves congregating here. Inside was a place of peace and rest from their normal duties as a guardian of their lands or a reaper of death. However, it was not all rest and relaxation. Gods rushed from place to place as they used the structure as a form of "highway" to travel from land to land, existence to existence. Doors lead to other doors, which in turn led to different worlds and planes of existence. There were long branches in which one could enter to find certain realities. It was a mystical phenomenon, one could find where they were going in this place, with no prior knowledge of the land's location in the immense building, and with no fear of losing where they were. Perhaps, it was because this building was not another "world", but the gap between them, the world that isn't. The world of nothing.

Of course, it isn't unique in that nature, the Birth and End of All worlds was another such example, and so was the personal domain that belonged to Light. However, this was different, it held properties even the Figures had never truly comprehended. Time paused in this land, knowledge flowed through one's mind, and one could always find their way here, if to no other world. So, with this in mind, it became the hub of the immortal.

Light rushed through the halls; Ace and Aria were beside him. "Damn it all! I find him, and now they're saying Earth is blocked off? This isn't right! This can't happen! This is impossible!"

Earth, as they had just attempted to enter the reality Leon was in, was "locked". It was a phenomenon that he was unfamiliar with. Apparently, it happened when a planet was undergoing a metamorphosis, a rebirth. However, this wasn't the case, it was obvious the planet was fine, but something else was wrong.

"We try bypassing this place, its a no-go. We try here, its still not good. Maybe, ya know, it's really gonna go boom?" Ace said. He was panicking inside, but he wasn't gonna show it, "What can we do, anyways. The Figures can't fix this, they're kinda d-"

"Wait right h-" Light was about to leave, already summoning a portal.

"Twilight? Leave her out of this." Aria said sternly, "You know as well as I do she isn't going to be ready for a long time."

Light sighed. She was right. "Then what do you suggest? I can't just sit here and wait."

Aria smiled. "You're right. Time's still here. You're going to sit somewhere else and wait."

Light glared at her, but understood there was nothing to do. Whatever was going down on Earth was beyond his control.

**-Earth-**

I walked down the street, a small sandwich in hand. It wasn't that good, but I didn't really care. I wasn't caring all that much these days. Suddenly, I saw a shimmer on one of the rooftops. _Its pretty bright out, I guess it's an antenna of some sor-_

*Boom!*

It was the last thing I heard as the world started to turn black and white.

_Wh... what? Why is the color... _I began to fall forward, and as I did, I saw the people around me panicking and looking at me. _W... what's wrong? Is there..._

My body hit the ground, but I didn't feel anything. A pool of some liquid began to form underneath me. I couldn't tell the color, I couldn't see them any more, but... was it...

_To think... I'm already dead..._

"Hello Leon, remember me?"

* * *

><p><strong><span>I literally spent every waking moment last weekend doing homework.<span>**

**How the hell didn't I finish it? Still, before the surge I had this half-written, so I am pretty lucky. I just got enough free time to finish this chapter, so yeah. Thanks for reading this guys, I hate to say it, but this had been so fun to write that my WoW membership just ran out and I'm probably not going to renew it.**

**Yeah, its that fun to type this.  
><strong>

**Please review, I read every word you guys type! Read on fellow Bronies!**


	22. Chapter 22: The Spires of Reality

**-Canterlot-**

The new princess walked through town, her destination the local doughnut shop that was Spike's favorite. "I hope they don't mind I'm a little late..." She said rushing through the town. It never was her dream to become a princess. She always thought it was something that was just... hereditary. Then again, the princesses had ruled for several millenia, and she did happen to be... well... immortal. Still, it was hard to believe she was a princess, the one position she had always dismissed as impossible.

Then again, lots of things she had thought were impossible... weren't.

"Why hello there, princess." A light-blue, upper-class, earth pony walked towards the royal unicorn.

She turned to face him, "Why hello! Who are you?"

"Nopony important. Still, just saying hi, in case you aren't, as I suspect, out of my league." The pony bowed towards her with a sly smile. Twilight rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." At first, it had been flattering, but after hearing a good fifty ponies that day trying to get her affections, she found herself tired of the attempts at her heart. She began to walk towards the sweets shop.

"H-hey princess! Was that annoying, I'm sorry if it was!" He began to walk after her, and since he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and instead was staring at the unicorn, he kept stumbling along the road. "A-anyways, are you available f- for aah!" He fell forward onto the ground.

Twilight couldn't help but laugh. Still, she stopped herself. Turning to him, she took a small breath. "I really am flattered by your interest in me, but I..." She looked to the ground briefly, searching for the right word, before looking back to the pony on the ground. "I guess right now my heart isn't open for other ponies. Sorry."

"Aww, dang it. And here I had my life all planned out." He looked ahead and pouted. Twilight smiled as she turned away. He was funny, true, but he wasn't her type. He'd make a good comedian one day, though.

She walked around the corner and quickly ducked into the small bakery.

**-Earth-**

"What the hell! He's been dead for two years!" The chief of police was staring at the section of the street, now marked off with police tape. The body had been taken to the nearest hospital, it'd take a miracle to survive that.

Blood was all over the street. Damn, whoever shot him, it was a huge gun. There was blood all over. Still, the bullet apparently missed his vitals. If he dies it will be...

"Blood loss. Someone, get the donor blood!" The doctors were running everywhere. "Damn it!"

"Don't let it flat-line. Shit, shit, shit!"

The hospital had been pretty busy that day, but when they brought this figure in, everybody panicked. The kid was borderline. Even if he managed to live, it's mess up his body pretty badly. A bullet from a rifle? Who the hell wanted this kid dead, and who was he?

**-Unknown, Leon's Location-**

"So I see you got my present."

I stood in a mysterious place, the ground a solid, white, flat surface, as large black prismatic spires game from the ground for as far as I could see. I was on top of one.

"... and you are?" I said with little inflection in my voice, turning to look at this stranger.

"Oh, you don't remember me, Leon?" A white-robed figure, with a slightly feminine voice spoke to me. She was several spires over. Her face was mostly covered by the hood, but some long, blonde hair gracefully hung out of the front of the hood.

"No, not in particular." I said disinterested.

She laughed, shrugged and said, "I expected as much," as she walked towards me. She gracefully and effortlessly hopped over to the next spire a large distance away, "Leon, I personally created you. The power you have doesn't belong to you. It belongs to me. Just as I gave it to the other Figures."

I stepped backwards away from her into a more defensible stance. "And you suppose I should care why?"

She began walking across that spire towards me, now with a look on her face that was a cross between taking the question as a challenge and an expression of 'Are you kidding me?'

"I made you Leon, and I can end you. I came before the Figures, Leon. I imbued them with their power. You think they just stumbled upon emptiness and decided to make a bunch of worlds? No. More accurately, they stumbled upon a blank canvas that I kindly offered to them to create their world. They were merely specks of life in an otherwise lifeless domain, fortunate to have found me willing to give them a chance to create their 'perfection'. And I? I was the creation of nothingness itself. Manifestation of all the dormant power that had resided here for eternity. I am slave to none. I am the first Figure." She hopped to another spire and continued walking towards me.

"I've heard this crap before. You're strong. So, while all of this crap is happening to me, where were you this entire time?" I refused to take my eyes away from the strange being.

The girl laughed. "I've been here, in this place: the blank canvas. Each spire here is another world. This is no place in-between other worlds, such as where the others had resided. This is no place where one simply comes and goes. This is my realm. One that is _everywhere_."

She finally leaped to my platform, I went to strike at her, but she stepped aside, letting my punch glide by harmlessly. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "I really did enjoy the show you put on two years ago. Still, things happen. Split in two, the part attuned to Earth, and the part that is Equestrian. The memories of all that has happened has stayed with you. The emotion? It seems like that's still in Equestria. It seems like it's going to be harder to find him." She smiled and pulled back her hood. Her deep-brown eyes seemed to reflect light that came for nowhere in particular. "I created the Figures, and then simply played the cards I was dealt. I made you, as a way to stop their ways. Obviously... it was a bit more effective than I had thought. Now... you've inherited the last remains of the Figure's power. Twilight has the majority. It wasn't their place to give the power to "successors". So, I offer you a deal."

**-Train to Canterlot, Nyx's Location-**

"Calm down, Nyx." Trixie had noticed I was all over, edgy, and snappy at the staff of the train.

"I can't... I just feel kinda... nervous is all..." I was paranoid. It was like something bad might happen, but I wasn't sure what.

"What is wrong with you, kid?" Some colt said to me across the aisle from my seat.

"I, I just feel like it isn't safe here. I guess it's just..." I looked down, ashamed. I was acting childish...

"It's probably your memories Nyx, don't worry about it now..." Trixie said quietly, "Trixie... I won't let anything happen to you." She turned to face the pony who had asked the relatively rude question, "Sorry, sir. We'll try to keep it down."

"Sorry Trixie..." I looked down, but still made note of the exits on the train. "...thanks."

**-Canterlot-**

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Twilight walked into the room, and as she did, she saw her friends all sitting at a table.

"I hear you've been elevated to royalty, Tw- err Princess Twilight." Pony Joe said to the unicorn as she entered, "It's been a while!"

"Yeah... I guess I have. No need to call me by anything other than Twilight, though, okay?" She said as she entered. She smiled as he saluted and went back to taking care of his shop.

"Hey Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called over from her seat at a table in the corner of the room.

Twilight walked over to the table and hugged her friends.

"Oh my goodness, what's it like being royalty. Tell me!" Rarity was ecstatic, She'd already been approached by multiple high-profile ponies inquiring about Twilight's dress. She already declined them, she said it was one-of-a-kind, and indeed, she wondered if she could ever replicated a dress such as that one.

"Well... actually, it really doesn't feel all that different. I still have the same friends, its just a bit more responsibility is all." She said, smiling. That morning had been spent learning some of the intricacies of the court that governed the land and how to control celestial bodies.

"Ah guess the hardest part's gonna be learnin' how ta get used ta Ponyville with y'all gone." Applejack said.

"What? Just because I'm a Princess doesn't mean I have to leave Ponyville!" Twilight beamed. She had discussed this with the princesses, and both seemed to enjoy the idea. She had friends, and it'd take more than a promotion to separate them.

They spoke for several hours, bombarding Twilight with question after question and compliment after compliment. Around noon, they began to disband.

"Ah'd better be seein' y'all in Ponyville right soon, ya hear?" Applejack waved to Twilight and Rainbow Dash as she left for home along with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Twilight smiled, "Okay!"

Rainbow Dash also headed out. "See ya at the show Twilight!" Today was a major show for her new flying team. It would be a collaboration with the Wonderbolts.

**-The Spires of Reality, Leon's Location-**

I looked at her. "And the deal is?"

She stared off to a pillar. "I want you to retrieve what is mine. It is selfish, yes, but I believe it is my time to once again resume my rule of these lands. If this is the case, I will completely reattune your body to Earth, and you will be able to live whole once again, without interruption. You will have your whole body, your existence once again complete."

"And if I refuse?" I simply stated. This effort? Who needs emotions?

"Then you won't return to Earth. That seems like it's your only want, correct?" She looked at me, "I'll be sending you to Equestria. I only want one thing: end the live of your other self."

I looked at her, under normal circumstances, killing would have probably been revolting. Killing your other self even more. Still, this offer was a one-sided bargain, and I didn't feel anything but a want to return to Earth. "Fine. I'll get it done. However, here's the issue, how will that get you your powers back?"

She stood silent for a moment. "... I made you as a way to break the boundaries of possibility."

"That doesn't answer my question."

It was obvious, she was thinking of the best way to phrase... something. "... It seems I can't enter Equestria, where your other half resides. There is some force... something keeping my presence out of the world. It's a win-win anyways. To get back your emotions... you'll need to kill him anyways and separate his soul from his body." She faced me, this time with a beam of blue light in her hands. "I give you this as a tool; use it as you deem fit." She plunged the light into the ground, and I saw it go along the ground and under my feet, where it rose around me.

It was the power I had once experienced before. It was near unlimited, and it was again in my possession. I bowed to the mysterious woman.

"I will return you to Earth for the time being and will summon you once again... when I deem the time is right to start this chess game." She turned away as my body began to dissolve into light.

"One final question: What are you the figure of?" I said, my body losing its form quite quickly.

"Me? I am the Figure of Oblivion. I am where all things come to end."

**-Train to Canterlot, Nyx's Location-**

Trixie had her head out of the window, staring at the quickly approaching city. She was silent as wind blew into her face.

"What's up Trixie? You seem a bit... off..." I said to her.

She was silent, contemplating what would happen when she met Twilight. She had gone to her house without fear... but this time was different. She had know, that there was a party in Cantlerlot, and she knew that there was a decent chance Sparkle would not be home, but here she was heading to meet the unicorn who would had changed her life, for better or worse.

As some say, ignorance is bliss, and that event three years ago really had opened her eyes to the truth. "I guess... I'm just thinking... about what to say to Twilight when we meet."

The rest of the ride was silent.

**-Cantlerlot-**

Today is the day. Rainbow Dash's biggest performance yet. The black costumes with a small rainbow-streak going from the front of the costume and gradually fading towards the back were sharp, as she walked into the area they would perform for the civilians of Cantlerlot. Spitfire walked beside her as co-captain of the new flying team known as the Starlights. It had been difficult coming up with a name that had not been cheesy, but it didn't matter once the crowd was in awe. After all, the Wonderbolts were here today as well, it was a cooperative effort. Sure, they may not be _the_ premier flying team anymore, but that didn't mean they couldn't be _a_ premier flying team.

"Hey Soarin'!" Spitfire walked over to her old colleague and began talking to him, "  
>How's the Wonderbolts been without their old captain?"<p>

Soarin' laughed, "Well I've been annoying everyone with all the practices I've been calling, we've been trying like hay to keep up with your new team. We can't let you show us up quite yet." He looked determined. "It's time we show you the Wonderbolts can still be called the number-one team in Equestria."

Spitfire smiled, "Oh, you'll see." They smiled and walked towards the other Wonderbolts who were waiting to meet their ex-captain.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she walked over to Scootaloo. She was all over the place, pacing back and forth as she mentally paced through her steps again. "So then I do a flip here and..."

"Hey, calm down Scootaloo, you got this in the bag. I mean, I've watched you at practice every day! You can't mess up now, even if ya tried!" She patted the orange pegasus on the back, who smiled.

"Gotcha!" She straightened up as she began stretching and warming-up for her first show.

**-The Overlook of the old Canterlot Battlefield-**

Twilight walked through the sea of people as she smiled. This was a special memorial day for what had happened at the Battle of Canterlot. Her friend's team, the Starlights, and the Wonderbolts would be performing here as a memorial to the small war whose outcome she and Leon had determined.

"I wonder whose gonna come out on top this year, I mean the Wonderbolts have been trying like mad to keep up with Rainbow Dash's team, but..."

"Ah, another fan of the Starlights, I presume?" A monocle-wearing, upper-class, teenage earth pony stood next to her. "I myself do enjoy their shows. I hear a new member will be performing today."

"Yeah, I enjoy watching the shows too, and yeah, today's Scootaloo's first day." Twilight smiled, "I really hope she does well."

"As do I, but I have complete faith in Rainbow Dash's selections. I have kept as many statistics on the members of both teams, but I'm lacking data on this new member. So, as you can see, I am here to find out how good this 'Scootaloo' really is."

"You must be a big fan of the Starlights, huh?" Twilight looked over to the pony, who had a small notepad.

"Why yes, they are one of the greatest flying teams Equestra has ever seen! I myself, a longtime Wonderbolts fan, have found myself cheering for this fairly new group over my old favorite team. Their style and presentation is revolutionary, and both Spitfire and Rainbow Dash are exceptional fliers. I was surprised that the Wonderbolts had overlooked her before the Starlights. She's one of the most agile, and easily the fastest, pegasus I've ever seen in my years of attending flight shows." He ranted on and on.

Twilight smiled, hearing praise for her friend was wonderful to her. "I'll make sure to tell her you said those things." The pony paused and looked at Twilight.

"W-wh-" He began to say something, but all he did was stutter as he looked at the unicorn fully for the first time. He had not seen her, as he was focused on the sky, where the performance was being set up for. He had merely overheard her speaking.

Immediately he bowed. He hadn't been at the party yesterday, but the news of the new royal member had spread faster than any plague throughout the town, "My apologies, m'lady, I had no idea you were..."

"Don't worry about it" Twilight giggled as his face turned bright red, "I'm not used to anyone treating my any other way than as a normal pony." She looked to the show that was about to begin.

"Ooh, here it goes!" She smiled and took a step towards a section reserved specifically for her. She looked back to the pony who had just bowed."Ya wanna come? I'll let you talk with Rainbow Dash after the show!" She smiled.

He looked surprised as his upper-class facade melted around him, "Uuh- err- aah... umm... r-really?"

Twilight smiled, "Well the section reserved for me IS pretty big, and I think you'd get a better idea of Scootaloo's skill up front, right?"

He had not expected the kind unicorn to do something such as that, he smiled and nodded. "Th-thank you Princess Twilight."

The crowds parted as she made her way to the private section of the audience with a guest who was already ecstatic about his prospects of meeting his heroes.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

**-Earth, Leon's Location-**

I opened my eyes, and I saw a bright light. Two voices immediately went off as I showed my first signs of consciousness.

"Maria, he's awake!"

"Already! How!"

"No clue, but we'd better get the doctor!"

I heard footsteps as things came into view, I didn't really feel anything and I couldn't move but my neck, but I turned my head over to see a dark-skinned woman in white robes messing with a cup of water, some IV's, and a screen that beeped over and over.

"Drink this." She stuffed the cup into my face, but as I was thirsty, I tried to oblige. I was still weak though, so it was more of a sip than actual drinking."

The doctor came in with a nurse, presumably the one who went to retrieve him, and began administering drugs while talking about how 'lucky' I was. Forget him, getting shot, no matter what your condition is after, does not constitute as lucky. Still, I could use some more sleep, so I think I'll do that.

Yeah, sleep sounds good.

**-The Spires of Reality-**

A white-robed woman sat atop a spire, staring into its black depths, contemplating all that had happened and what her actions would be now. Twilight may have the power of the figures, but it was still only a fraction of what she held, in terms of strength. She had given them those Figures their abilities, after all. Still, there was another piece on the board she needed gone before she could act. Leon could self-destruct, and Twilight would be no problem, but _him_... _he_ would be the challenge.

"...Light, remove your veil of weakness and show your true colors. The chess board is set, and now, whether you know it or not, it's your move... This time, it's going to be my checkmate, not yours. As much as you hate to acknowledge it...the fact still remains..."

The endless silence that was the Spires of Reality was shattered as she said the last part with her mind.

_"You aren't a god."_

* * *

><p><strong><span>So yes, I've been hard at work on this story. I don't really know about this chapter, there is good and bad, and it took several tries to get it right during some parts, but I think it's good enough to show you guys.<span>**

**Remember to review and let me know what you think. Also, I have plans for another story soon, however, I'm torn as to whether i should wait until I finish this one before starting it. If I start it now, the chapters for this story will come out less frequently, and I may have trouble trying to keep the worlds apart (I'm not sure). So please give me input on that as well.**

**Thanks for reading this guys, you have no idea how awesome it feels when someone favorites this story or someone writes a review. Read on fellow bronies!  
><strong>


	23. Chapter 23: I Missed You

**-The Halls of Eternity-**

"So it was you... You promised not to interfere Oblivion..." Light was talking to himself, and Ace and Aria looked at him, confused as to what he was mumbling about.

"Hey, Light. What's up?" Aria asked him, he seemed deep in thought, and she was unsure as to why he was acting the way he was.

"Nothing important Aria. I suppose I'm just finding the game of chess is more and more cryptic to me every day." He sighed and walked over to her, shaking his head. "This isn't a simple chess game, as much as I wish it were..." The table he had been at held a small chess board.

In the middle was a crack in the board. "... I guess this means my days of having fun are over." Light stood up, Ace looked over.

"Yo Light, have I ever told you that you can't act?" He leaned back in his chair.

Light stood still, without facing Ace, he stood still. "...what tipped you off?"

"I was just thinking about that book ya gave to Twilight. I keep wondering how you did it, and just now, the way you were thinking and staring at the board... That game you always say you're clueless about... That's a load of crap isn't it. I saw you looking at the board, and you understood every move. So tell me the truth. You aren't a god... are you?" Ace looked at Light, wondering what his friend was hiding.

"...I'll protect you from the truth, because it is something even I'm not prepared to accept." Light stood there, on the side of his chest, a small, barely noticeable set of arcane symbols pulsed brightly.

Ace made note of them, but decided to keep quiet. _What's up with him... and was that... a seal?Is he trying to keep something out... or in?_

"...Let's see if the way to Earth is open again." Light said, changing the discussion. He began to walk to the door.

Ace shrugged, "Yeah... fine. I'll ask you later."

**-Canterlot-**

"Yes, GO, GO, GO!" The pony Twilight had invited to watch the Starlights and Wonderbolts with had introduced himself as Peddle. He was leaning over the railing separating the section for Twilight and the area the Wonderbolts were performing. Twilight giggled, he has so... giddy about what was going on, it was funny just watching him freak out.

And as Twilight watched the show, time seemed to slow down to a heartbeat, she blinked, wondering what was going on.

A woman's voice called out to her. "Show me your worth, Twilight Sparkle."

Suddenly, a pain shot through her, and one of her front hooves gave out from below. The world began to turn black around her as she stumbled sideways before finally falling to the ground unconscious.

Peddle heard a thump on the ground and turned to look to the Princess. "Huh?"

He saw her on the ground in obvious pain. "P-princess! What do I do?" He rushed over to her as the show progressed.

Dang it! He rushed to the outside of the small balcony reserved for the Princess to the two royal guards stationed there. They had been facing the outside of the area to prevent unwanted visitors. They, along with everypony else in the area could not see inside. "S-sir, the p-princess is..."

They turned to the boy, and before he could finish his thought, they rushed to the Princess Twilight.

Somewhere else, in a realm of spires, Oblivion smiled evilly. She had managed to invade the world of Equestria, if only for a transient moment.

"_Light... your wards are beginning to give."_

**-Earth, Leon's Location-**

I awoke with a start. I was in the hospital, but no nurses were around me. I still had an IV, but the room was empty and lights were off.

...That's odd. It should be open 24/7. It IS a hospital.

"Found you." It was Light, he was in his teenage-human form. "Ace, Aria... I need to talk with him alone for a bit, just do what you want.

"...Which is nothing when you've got us warping space like this." Aria and Ace appeared in the doorway. Aria had blonde hair, a large breast size, a thin build, and wore a tank top and jean-shorts. Ace, beside her, had short blonde hair, a thin build, wore a black pair of slacks, a white dress-shirt, red tie, and a tuxedo. He also sported a black briefcase, but it was obvious he was just holding it for the sake of holding it. He must have thought it would be funny.

"This is private, if what I think is true..." Light turned to face me. "You're _his _memory."

I sat up, I felt perfectly fine, and my wound... it was gone. "...I see you've already figured it all out."

He stood there and smiled. "Have you met _her?_ I'd have thought so. She's not one to let an opportunity like this to pass."

"...I assume you're talking about Oblivion." I said, standing up from the bed. I let my clothes morph into a red sweatshirt with a black book on the front and some black track pants to help show the fact she had indeed transferred a significant amount of power to me. It was more of a threat, really. I knew I could kill a god, I had all the power in the world, after all. It was unspoken, but mentally I had told him to leave.

"...so you have then. What did she tell you?" Light stood there, "...and what did she ask you to do?"

I shrugged. "Kill myself. Other than that, nothing."

"So that IS your objective..." Light bowed his head. "You know telling me just made your life more difficult."

I walk to the door. "...I don't need your interference. If I need to, I'll kill those who stand in my way. Including you."

Light stood there before asking a final question. "What did she offer you? Is it life here on Earth?"

"... I will once again be whole. I will one again live here." I said, as I was about to walk through the doorway and the God behind me was about to stop me from leaving, a light appeared.

"Nice to see you again, Light." A woman's voice called out.

"...what are you doing here?" Somewhere in that brief statement, had said her name, but it seemed lost to the winds. Even to me, with the near- unlimited power The Figure of Oblivion had given me, it was impossible to hear. He said it without emotion and he didn't even look at her, his eyes were still on me.

She simply summoned fourth a single blade and swiped it towards Light, who spun around to face her, leaped just out of reach of the blade, and summoned fourth his scythes.

"Leon, I suppose we'll need to send this plan forward now instead of when I had planned. I apologize." I found myself fading, once again, from this realm.

**-Canterlot Train Station, Nyx's Location-**

We stepped off the train and I let out a big sigh. I was fine, no crazy events had happened. I walked off of the train with Trixie, and as we did we noticed something. The place was empty.

"...what's going on?" I heard Trixie ask to herself, "It's supposed to be crowded here..."

"You didn't hear? The Starlights and Wonderbolts are holding a show in honor of the two-year anniversary of the Battle of Canterlot." Someone getting off of the train said.

"Oh..." I responded, "Thanks, where is it?"

"Near the edge of Canterlot, you don't even need a ticket if I remember correctly." The pony said before scurrying off in some unknown direction.

"...wanna check it out, Trixie? Maybe Twilight is there." I said, looking over to her. She seemed zoned out.

"Umm... y-yeah." She seemed preoccupied.

_I guess she still isn't ready to meet Twilight yet, is she?_ "...we don't have to go if you don't want."

"...no... let's go." She said halfheartedly. She was looking at the ground, thinking about something.

"...you aren't afraid, are you?" I said, walking over to her and putting a hoof over her shoulder.

She jumped and looked at me, getting defensive. "Trixie isn't afr-" She stopped mid-sentence and slumped over in defeat. "...yeah... I'm afraid... even more than you could imagine..."

I stood next to her. "You don't need to do this. I can find her myself. I mean, I really owe you a lot but..."

"It's not that. I... I think I need to see her myself too..." She looked over her shoulder, her memories inflicting pain inside her mind as she recalled the event with the Ursa Minor.

**-Canterlot Hospital-**

Twilight awoke in the hospital with a start, at the foot of her bed was Celestia, Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Peddle, and Scootaloo.

"Hey! We were worried sick about ya!" Rainbow Dash said, a bit ticked, but then she smiled, and said with a softer voice, "...Glad you're okay."

Celestia also seemed concerned, "I was worried about you too, Twilight. Nopony here could seem to figure out what was wrong with you."

Peddle sat in the background, "Sorry I messed up the show, Spitfire..."

She looked over to him, "It wasn't anypony's fault, don't worry about it will ya? It's good you were there to notice the Princess passing out. I'd say you're a hero."

Scootaloo smiled, and then asked an evil question, "Say Twilight, you didn't happen to be doing anything romantic with him, were ya?" She adopted Rainbow Dash's sense of humor in the past two years.

Peddle and Twilight's faces lit up a bright red, both shaking their hooves defensively. Twilight spoke loudly, "No way! I was just thinking you guys would like to meet him because he was such a big fan! I- I wouldn't do that! I mean..." Her voice faded away and she trailed off looking down. "... I don't have feelings for anypony anyways..."

Rainbow Dash nudged her shoulder and sarcastically piped, "Yeah, yeah. Of course you were."

**-Earth-**

Ace and Aria rushed into the room to see the Figure of Oblivion swiping her weapon at Light. He was slowly, but surely, giving up ground to the female being. "You can't keep the facade up forever, Light. If you do, you'll end up dead." She struck away another as Light backed up to the window.

"... Light!" Aria called out from behind him. Her lances raced towards the figure of oblivion, but they shattered before reaching the target. She gasped.

"She's a figure who came before. You guys won't be able to- aargh!" Light's body flew out of the building as he went flying out into the street from the third floor of the hospital, he had tried blocking the attack of the Figure, but it wasn't enough to cause him to lose his footing.

"...hmph, weak." She leaped after him as Ace and Aria looked at each other. They nodded in mutual understanding.

"Aria, you go, I'll help out Light." Aria nodded to Ace's request and disappeared. Ace looked out of the hole in the wall and leaped after the Figure, summoning his swords in the process, his briefcase morphing into a blade as well.

"...Let's see what you're really made of, Light. It better be worth the wait." Ace smiled as he felt the wind rushing by.

**-Canterlot Battlefield Overlook, Nyx's Location-**

I walked to the area overlooking the battlefield, murmurs rippled throughout the crowd, even though there was still a spectacular performance going throughout the sky.

I bumped into an orange earth pony. "... do you know where a 'Twilight Sparkle' might be?" I stared at him blankly.

"Th-the princess? She just passed out earlier. It made a real commotion. Who are you to ask where she is?" The mare smiled at me.

"... I don't know..." I said looking down I thought.

She laughed. "Isn't that the question we all wished we could answer?" She smiled at me sincerely.

"...but still, I need to talk to her, do you know where she is?" I said, looking back up with the last bits of hope that I could locate her.

"Probably the hospital, or the castle. I dunno. Figure it out yourself." She said before turning back to the show.

Trixie walked up behind me, "I asked around too. I really do think _she_ is at the hospital." I noticed she paused momentarily before the word, "she", but I said nothing.

I smiled, "Trixie, thanks."

**-Leon's Grave-**

A book glowed brightly, and a page in the book made itself known to the world. Half of the page was at the Spires of Reality and Leon was standing and listening to the Figure of Oblivion. On the other half of the page was Nyx overlaying a black figure of the god Light that seemed to have rays of his namesake emanating from the edge of his form.

"... We have our Proxies. Now for the war."

The wind blew, sending a ripple of shimmers through the lake near the grave and its surrounding grass. If one were there, they would have noted the marble slab, and the crack that had appeared on it.

"...Good luck to both of you. Leon. 'Nyx'."

One might have also noted the chess set that was playing by itself beyond the confines of the book's aura, and how the two kings were encroaching on a single point, and how, mystically, one would instantly know who the two kings were. _Oblivion... and Light._

**-Canterlot Hospital, Nyx's Location-**

"And so that's why the doctors aren't sure what caused me to pass out and..." A purple unicorn laying in bed froze and her face suddenly softened as she saw me. Her voice trailed off as well.

"Hello, do any of you know where Twilight Sparkle is?" I said walking into the room. A blue rainbow-maned pegasus and a yellow pegasus stared at me as if I were some ghost, and the regal-looking white, winged-unicorn stared at me as if she saw the happiest sight of her entire life.

"...you're finally here, Leon..." The Purple Unicorn looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes, she had a gigantic smile. She threw of the blankets and ran over to me, giving me a hug. "...I really missed you." A teardrop fell from her eyes, and soon she was wailing.

All I could do was sit there with a blank expression on my face. "Le... on... ...are you Twilight Sparkle?"

She let go of me and looked at me, confused. "Leon? Of course I am... is anything wrong?"

"Hey! All she's done is think about you these past two years, and you don't even bother to remember what she looks like!" Rainbow Dash was enraged before I could even react, "I've seen some pretty stupid things but this is the worst thing I-"

I looked down to the ground, unsure of what to say. Then, at the doorway, a voice called out. "He can't remember anything."

Twilight looked past me and said softly, "...Trixie..." Rainbow Dash, however, seemed more disgusted as she called the name of the ex-traveling magician.

Trixie looked back at Twilight Sparkle, and with little tone or inflection merely replied, "Sparkle..."

"...was this the friend who needed to see me?" She said to Trixie. "...thanks..."

Trixie was taken off-guard, "Y-you aren't angry at me? Trixie m- means- no... I mean... ..." She had been insecure when she had first talked to me, but now she was shifting uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at Twilight, and began to blush in embarrassment.

"I forgive you, Trixie. I mean, you really helped me out." Twilight turned to me. "...You're still Leon... Even if you can't remember..." She had a huge smile on her face while the mixture of emotions projected from Twilight and Trixie seemed to fill the room. I really wasn't sure how to react.

The Princess giggled behind me, "I'll leave you three to talk. ...Glad to see you're okay, Leon." She led Peddle, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo out of the room.

Trixie finally tried to speak again, "The Great and Pow- … I'm sorry, Sparkle... Three years ago... when I visited..." She looked back to her hooves that were on the ground, "...I haven't worked at all. I learned from you..." Her eyes were filled with hurt, "I'm sorry for everything... for putting you in the situation I did... I never realized the hatred towards me until you opened my eyes." She closed her eyes and took a long breath. "...thank you Twilight. I wouldn't be here without you."

Now it was Twilight's turn to be take off guard. "W-without me?"

"... yes... Thank you..." Trixie felt something well out from inside her, as if a burden had been lifted. She began to let out some tears. "... I was always afraid of what you'd say when I... when I tried to say sorry..." The floor began to catch the crystalline drops that came from her eyes as they began streaming down her face and ultimately falling off. "I'm such a foal!" She dropped to the floor and covered her eyes with her hooves.

"...Twilight... Thanks for being a friend to Trixie..." I said softly.

She smiled a kind smile before hugging me again, "It's what I do."

As she hugged me, I found myself blushing, but I wasn't sure why. Little did I know, the Purple Unicorn was too.

**-Earth-**

At street level, Light landed, all the cars frozen in time. "...this is bad, if there is even one wrong move..."

A shockwave rippled through the area, tearing up the road and striking a nearby building, causing it to collapse.

"Or someone might die." Oblivion said as the building collapsed. "You'd better act soon, or else more innocent people will die. What's it going to be, Light? You accept who you are, or everyone dies. Either choice is fine by me." She shrugged and smiled, showing how uncaring she really was.

"I just thought I'd let you know how oblivious you've been. I sent Leon to kill his other self, and you know what's going to happen as well as I do. They'll self-destruct and end up both dead, its obvious. Clever you had set a seal on Leon after you made him so I couldn't enter the worlds he was in, but it looks like it only covered one of them when his soul split" She laughed. "I know you made Leon, Light. But now he's done, finished. If I'm lucky, they'll catch Twilight in the crossfire, it'll save me the effort." She smiled before turning around at the destruction everywhere.

"... of course there is one last thing in the way, and I'm planning on taking care of that now." She smiled to herself.

Ace rushed towards her on the ground as she turned around to face him. "Damn it!" He leaped sideways as several quickly-moving projectiles whizzed by him.

He went to strike her with his swords, and as he did, they all lost their form and went straight through her without leaving so much as a single scratch. All he did was let out a single,"Wh-" before she impaled him with her bare arm.

"...Hurry up, Light. I may have all eternity, but I don't like waiting." Ace looked at his chest in shock. The speed... he hadn't even a chance to react, but as his vision blurred, he saw Light, who was now in his pony form, take a firm stance in the ground.

"...I guess you've got me cornered, haven't you?" Light said in conceded fashion, and his chest pulsing with arcane symbols. "Sorry, Ace... It took me too long to show you who I really am..."

And the glowing characters finally began to glow brighter and brighter until finally, they shattered into thin air, letting out a ripple of pure energy that seemed to engulf the entire city.

_I am not a God._

_I am not a Figure._

_...I am the Composer of everything. The Origination._

Light began to glow as ethereal wings engulfed the area around him, and trails of purple light illuminated the dark sky above the soon-to-be battleground.

"Raise your weapon, Oblivion."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to get this<strong>** chapter ou****t.**** I've been busy with school, I was sick for a day, and I had a small case of writer's block.  
>So yeah, the last chapter was a bit confusing, so I tried to remedy it a bit in this chapter, don't worry, the multiple storylines will begin to converge soon, I just realized if you summarize this story, it sounds more complicated than Inception, so yeah.<strong>

**Finally, I love you all for reading this. Read on fellow bronies!**


	24. Chapter 24: Where's Leon?

**-Forests Below Cantlerlot, Leon's Location-**

There was a slight drizzle as I awoke, it was pitch-black out. "... they made a grave? Hmph. Seems like they haven't taken good care of it, it already has cracks."

I got up and noticed I was once again in my pony form. I blinked,then scanned the treeline, spotting the grand city of Canterlot, I thought aloud, "So this area was where I died... The vegetation grew back pretty fast." I began to walk forward, towards the exit of the clearing, before a small shimmer caught my eye, a book encompassed by light.

I walked to it, fully expecting it to be the book that had mysteriously narrated my adventure two years ago, but no. It was a different book titled Another Day. I looked at it before reaching for it, the small orb of light around it softly glowed as I began to open the book. A page had a picture of me as a human, but down the middle was a jagged line, splitting me in half. On the right side was a smiling version of me in a green field, with several ponies in the background, most prominently that enigmatic purple unicorn, smiling and laughing and hugging each other. On the left side, I was expressionless, the background filled with an empty alleyway between two buildings in the city I lived in.

I closed my eyes as I shut the book. I set it down and exhaled, turning to face the grand city of Canterlot. "He's here... somewhere."

Behind me, the marble slab cracked some more.

**-Canterlot Streets-**

After several long, but surprisingly not-awkward hours, Trixie went to town in search of the hotel Twilight had graciously arranged to house Trixie for the night.

"Stay here Nyx, once the place is situated, you can stay with me, if you want." She smiled as she saw the small blush that appeared on Twilight, who, to Trixie's shock, had been revealed to be the newest royal member of Canterlot. _What a shame... he was such a cute unicorn too..._ she thought to herself with a smile, before chuckling to herself and leaving the room. She felt like a new pony, like all her guilt and regrets just... faded away.

She smiled as she walked down the street. "I wonder..." She saw a cape in the window.

"...nah." She smiled and shrugged off the ludicrous idea of restarting her magic show. She wouldn't be a braggart, but still, the idea just seemed a bit repulsive after what had happened.

"Maybe I could become a merchant..." She began listing off different occupations for kicking-off her new life as "The Perfectly Average Trixie."

**-Canterlot Hospital-**

I opened my eyes and fell out of the bed. "Aah!" I said, surprising myself. I had been laying next to Twilight on the bed, and we had both passed out. How did that happen? She seemed happy, but still. I got up from the floor and shook myself as I remembered I was in the royal city's hospital. I looked back at the beautiful purple unicorn, smiling as a warm feeling welled up inside me. I looked down, feeling my face get warm from the blush, and walked over to a corner of the room.

"...I can't even remember what we did together... How... how come I feel this way..." I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "...I'm such a moron... I... can't even remember what we did together..." I curled up in a ball where I was and wept silently to myself. "...I mean... she's a princess too..."

How could I have forgotten it all. Every last detail of every last thing that had happened before a few days ago... it was all gone... What made me think that anything would change if I searched out the last remaining detail I had left.

...but I guess it did.

I felt safer, after all.

A maelstrom of feelings brewed up inside me. Anger, towards myself, for betraying my friends and their memories. Fear, of what would happen if I couldn't ever remember the past. Sadness, of the fact I couldn't stop thinking about the unicorn in the same room as me... and that I couldn't remember the past we shared, the time we spent together. Insecurity about what was going to happen now.

The tears began to flow faster and faster and with each teardrop striking the floor, another feeling seemed to flow through my head.

I hadn't realized it, but during this time, Spitfire had returned to the room. As she entered, she saw my whimpering visage in the corner of the room. Creeping in silently, she noted the sleeping Twilight and wandered over to me. "...did something go wrong?" She placed a hoof on my shoulder and whispered to me. For the longest time, I refused to respond.

However, the grieving couldn't last forever and I looked to her with a long face. "... nothing... I just..." I looked to the floor.

Spitfire smiled, "You can tell me..." Her kind nature shown through her normally tomboyish nature.

"... I really wish I could remember all that had happened..." I looked away from her, "but... no matter how hard I try... all that I get is..."

"...Twilight Sparkle?" Spitfire looked at me and smiled. "We all missed you, everyone did... But Twilight? She missed you the most. Every day you were gone, it was all she thought about." Her hoof was over my back. "Don't worry so much about your memories." She made a small chuckle, and it made me smile. "After all, you can always make me a new ones." She nudged my shoulder with a smile. I smiled before looking back at Twilight.

"Yeah... I guess that's true..." I said softly, joy beginning to show itself again on my face.

She decided to bring up a suspicion that had shown up in her mind two years ago, and had once again resurfaced with this newest discussion. She whispered in my ear, so quietly, then even if the Unicorn near us had been awake, she would not have been able to hear, "... about Twilight... you love her... don't you?"

My eyes shot wide open as she whispered that. "I- err- uuh- I..." I blushed profusely as she chuckled to herself. "... don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She smiled before turning towards the door. "I guess I can't talk with Twilight right now, so I'll come back later." She left the room, leaving me blushing and looking back at the sleeping Princess.

**-Earth-**

Oblivion was ruthless, striking with extreme precision and with power that could level mountains. Light continued to do whatever he could, deflecting blows with his scythes and leaping around the strikes that crippled the city around him. He wasn't as worried about himself as he was the world around him. Buildings collapsed, craters formed, and cars were sent flying with incredible speeds that would leave none of the people inside alive.

And the bystanders couldn't flee. They weren't aware of this destructive battle taking place so close to them. Time had stopped on the planet, but as soon as the battle between Oblivion and Light was decided... the city would suddenly, and unexplainably be completely and utterly annihilated.

Light once again deflected a blow, the shockwave leveling a building several blocks away. He sidestepped another blow before assaulting Oblivion with several sets of scythe strikes. He was calm and collected, but his enemy was as experienced and as powerful as he.

"You never wanted that power. You sealed it away, denied its use and existence. They player of the game can never be a mere piece, no matter what you wish, Light." Oblivion rolled under a scythe and sent several knives out of the white sleeves of her robes towards Light, who did a front-flip over them, sending a shockwave towards Oblivion in retaliation. "You always hoped to stay a simple god, you could have controlled it all. You knew exactly how to create a "utopia". She stepped sideways, grabbed the possessed scythe that had attacked her and spun it several times before sending the blade into the ground. She smiled, "You are a coward, who runs away from the power he created. That is why..." She paused as she rushed towards him and thrusted with beam of light that materialized in her hands. Light dodged backwards so he was just out of reach of the strike. "...you sealed away those powers. Why you refused to unleash them in the time of Equestria's need, and even when your 'Proxy' had died!" She smiled evilly as she attempted to mentally antagonize Light into a rage.

He sighed, "But Oblivion... you're just like me."

She paused, losing her tempo as she began an attack. The stutter was enough for Light to create a barrage of strikes that put Oblivion completely on the defensive. "I saw that scene in Leon's eyes. When he was leaving, what was it you said?"

She realized what Light had seen.

"_I am the Figure of Oblivion."_

That was a lie, for she was just like Light. She was no Figure, she was their birth.

"When we created those Figures, there were six each..." Light said as they both locked weapons, Oblivion had recovered and the fight had started to dissolve into a stalemate, "You created the Figures who symbolized ending. Death, War, Hatred, Lies, The Corporeal, and Sadness."

He sighed as the stalemate continued, "To that, I made an opposite to counteract each of those Figures. Life, Peace, Love, Truths, The Spiritual, and Joy."

She looked bored and dropped an item on the ground from a sleeve; it was a small explosive. She quickly leaped backwards as it detonated, consuming Light within it.

"Cut the crap, Light. I know it as well as you do."

Light emerged unharmed from the rubble of the explosion. "No, you don't."

She smiled. "Maybe after this is all over, you'll one day tell me your story." She was holding her arm, a gash began to show red blood through her white robe. She laughed before taking a few steps backwards, and vanished from sight as her body seemed to dissolve into a thin stream of white smoke. "You'd better be careful, I'm not a Figure. I can kill Ace's soul, even when he's protected by a mortal body."

And the battle was over, the victor undecided.

And time resumed.

And the mourning, at least for this city, was just about to begin. That night, the media would go on and on about the mysterious set of explosions that leveled one of the greatest cities on earth.

The city called Heaven.

Light lowered his head, as he walked over to Ace. He was bleeding, unconscious, and near-death. Light, or really 'The Origination', smiled weakly at his friend. "I'm sorry, Ace, for the lies I've made to convince myself I could be anything but what I was... He smiled weakly, as he sat down next to his friend. His horn began to glow as he began to heal his mortally-wounded comrade.

"...I'll be there Equestria, as soon as I can. Just hold on, if only a little longer..." He closed his eyes as the night sky began to let snow fall over the ruined city.

**-Canterlot, Leon's Location-**

I wandered through town with speed. My destination was where the princesses resided. I knew little of what had changed, but if anyone would know the location of the other me, it would be the ones in charge. Luna and Celestia,

A walked through the gates leading to the royal castle, and as I did, a heard a guard command to me with a loud voice, "Halt! Who goes there? State your name!"

I continued to walk, but several guards stepped in the way of my path. "State your name and purpose."

I stopped, "My name is not important, but I seek audience with the Princesses." The looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry, but she is unavailable at the momen-" Spires of rock rose up from under the guards as I began to walk up the steps of the castle, the Guards that had been watching were stunned until the highest-ranking guard finally snapped them out of their trance. "Well don't just stand there! There is an intruder in the Castle!"

So as I walked into the castle, lights flashed and guards yelled, but did I care? No.

**-Canterlot Hospital, Nyx's location-**

Twilight awoke in her bed with a start. She looked at me, who had been sitting patiently in the corner of the room, a book in hand. I smiled at her. "Hey Twilight, sweet dreams?"

She smiled and got out of the bed, stretching her legs as she did. "Yeah, how long was I out for?"

I smiled, "Not too sure, I was asleep too, for a time."

"Oh yeah..." Twilight said, before blushing profusely when she remembered how she had fallen asleep. "W-well I guess that-" She smiled.

I got up from the spot I was sitting and walked over to her. "Twilight... I'm sorry I can't remember all that happened two years ago..." I put a hoof on her and smiled, "But I promise that we... we can make new memories."

She giggled. "How wise of you, Leon." She smiled sincerely.

"Actually, those were Spitfire's words..." I said, laughing, and before long, the purple unicorn next to me joined in. We sat next to each other as a doctor came in.

"Well, Princess. It seems everything is okay, so I suppose you may return home now." The purple unicorn said, reading off his magically-levitated clipboard.

I turned to Twilight with a dumb-looking smile on my face, "Alright!"

She turned back. "Hey, wanna go someplace to eat, I know you don't have much money, so it'll be my treat!" I smiled, and realized my stomach was growling. Twilight, to my dismay, also heard it, and to the local restaurant, she spent the entire trip there teasing me.

And this blush on my face was really starting to get uncomfortable.

**-****The Birth and End of All Worlds-**

"No, I refuse."

It was directed towards Aria. She had been trying for two hours to convince the gods of the situation. "Listen, you stubborn fools, you have spent your time here disconnected from reality. Some of you have yet to return to your worlds these past two years!" She slammed a fist at the table. "Take action now! Can't you understand, if you don't Light and Ace could very well-"

"It doesn't concern us, nor does it concern you. We have more important things to worry about than a rogue God. Light and Ace should be more than enough to handle the situation, and if they cannot, it matters not. They were the weakest gods among us anyways, besides you, of course. The god looked at Aria with complete distaste." Aria, quite frankly, was insulted.

"She wasn't a normal being, but obviously you are oblivious to the order of the worlds." She summoned fourth her lances to point at the God who refused to take action. "And if I don't have my request granted, there is always force."

She had been talking to an older God, who was in the form of an elfish creature. He sat at his seat silently, looking at the form before him. She had determination, if not a hint of sense.

He smiled and lifted himself from the chair. He let a chakram form in each of his hands. "...then follow through with your threat, _girl._" He swung at her as the rest of the gods watched, without a single one even batting an eye.

**-The Spires of Reality-**

Oblivion stood there, taking deep breaths after the fight. The wounds would heal, but she was planning out her next steps.

Light was a problem. She had underestimated his strength, even after it being limited after all those years, his fighting senses were still not dulled. She closed her eyes and began to think about what to do.

She smiled as she sensed more cracks in the seal that Light had erected appear.

"...you're dangerously close to losing, Light." She said, cradling her injured right arm with her left. The blood... it had been the first time she had ever seen it. It interested her.

But then the pain she had felt all of eternity came once more.

_...I'm so alone..._

_...Save me..._

_...End me..._

She screamed and sent a wave of energy from her bad arm's fist into the spire below her, causing it to fracture, though it reassembled before her eyes. The sudden effort renewed the bleeding of the arm as she grasped it in pain, gasping for air.

"Damn it!" She yelled into the nothingness, rage being the only feeling present in her words.

**-Canterlot Castle, Celestia's Quarters, Leon's Location-**

The door burst open. "Leon?" She said turning from a piece of parchment that she had been reading to herself. "How did you get in here without the Guard's notifying me?"

Just then, a guard skid into view of the doorway, and yelled. "Princess, he's an intruder!" He rushed, wings spread, towards me, and without even turning to face him, a blast of air sent him flying into a wall, paralyzed and unconscious.

"Good guess, now tell me Princess. Where is Leon?"

Celestia stood up and let the parchment fall to the ground, she faced me with her wings spread. "... My student is of no concern to you. And the same goes for the location of Leon." She stepped forward with her hoof in front. "Now who are you."

I shrugged and smiled with a somewhat-cocky expression before rushing at the royal being, summoning an axe as I ran towards her, she sent fourth some furniture while writing something on the parchment behind her with her horn.

"Warnings will only serve as a brief delay, princess." I stopped in front of her and struck her across the face with my hoof, sending her into and through the wall into the adjacent room, but not before she sent it away to its target.

"You WILL tell me. Princess. Where is this Leon?" I stood there as several guards behind me were sent flying unconscious by the floor which miraculously rose from under them.

I continued to pummel the Princess, who could barely stand from the initial hit. "Tell me now, Celestia. Or it'll be your life. Either way, I _will _leave with the information I seek." She was silent. I closed my eyes before deciding my final judgment, "Very well, I will take the knowledge by force. Goodbye, Princess of the Sun."

"Stop!" Luna was behind me, she was gasping.

She was just in time, as I stopped my hoof inches from her head, it was glowing with a magical force, waiting to probe the Princess's mind, something that would have left the white royalty dead.

Luna looked defeated. "What do you want, Leon..."

Celestia was barely able to form words. "L-leave... L-luna... He's..."

I smiled, "Tell me, where is the boy..."

Luna's crown fell from her head as she slumped to the ground in guilt. "... He's probably at the Hotel LeFleur with Trixie..."

Celestia's eyes opened, "No!"

I turned and walked away from the small pile of rubble, past the crying Luna, out the door, and through the hallway that was riddled with unmoving, injured guards.

He's going to die. I've decided that much already. I have nothing against you, Equestria's Leon, but for me... going home... Earth is my only goal.

And quite frankly, you're the only thing stopping me.

**-Fancy Pant's Restaurant, Nyx's Location-**

Me and Twilight walked into the fancy restaurant. Everyone was so... civilized with their outfits, it made me self-conscious about my appearance, but people seemed to smile as they saw the crowned-pony next to me.

I suppose me being with royalty _would_ be more impressive than any outfit. I smiled as we were led by a brown, tuxedo-clad earth pony to a table in the corner of the room. As we sat down, the waiter handed us the menus. "Our special today is the grass-scampi with a garlic sauce, a side of straw-souffle and a bottle of red wine." He said bowing, "But anything on the menu is guaranteed to be quite exquisite, and unmatched anywhere else in Equestria."

Twilight smiled and looked down at the menu. "Why thank you, sir." He bowed and walked away.

I looked down and saw all of the food, "Uuh, Twilight."

She was looking through the menu, trying to decide on what was the best-looking dish, "Well... I was wondering... What happened two years ago?" She looked up from her menu with a small look of surprise, but her face softened as soon as she heard my stomach growl again. She covered her mouth with her hoof and giggled.

"O-on second thought, lets order first." I smiled before ducking my head into the menu to hide the blush on my cheeks.

**-Canterlot Library-**

Spitfire walked through the most ancient sections of the library in Canterlot Castle. She had heard the commotion outside, but at the moment, she was on a mission. Whoever it was, she could always ask later.

For two years, the events that had lead up to the Battle of Canterlot had confused her, and had served to keep her up late at night many a time. While time had dulled the curiosity inside her, it seemed time had turned itself back. "He was dead..." She said, searching through the shelves for whatever book she could find.

And as she walked through some of the darker sections of the library, she snapped out of her trance.

"What?" She saw two inscriptions on a book that seemed so... antediluvian that caught her eyes. "... those crowns..."

She pulled the book out of the shelf and brushed off the thick layer of dust that had settled on it. "... The King..." She opened it, and as she did, she delved deep into a world of fantasy and danger, that, somehow, seemed to explain all that had happened in Equestria in those few short days two years ago, right down to the most minor events.

But for Spitfire, it raised as many questions as it answered.

And the end of the book... That last page... It showed the reader's face as clear as day.

_To the faithful reader, who has listened to this story. One of gods and Fate. Do not fear, for there will always be another day._

_Isn't that right, Spitfire?_

**-Hotel LeFleur, Leon's Location-**

Trixie checked into her room, opening the door to the two-bed hotel room complete with a view overlooking the waterfalls around Canterlot. It was certainly a beautiful room with a beautiful view, but the allure of the room was dwarfed in comparison to the comfort the beds provided. She set down her things and immediately passed out on the cloud-bed closest to the doorway.

However, the sleep wouldn't last for long.

A parchment appeared in front of Trixie, it had some words that were scribbled out, that looked to be a list of to-do things for... the princess?

But that wasn't what concerned her. She saw some ink drops on the paper, and a hastily scribbled phrase.

"Somepony is after Leon."

* * *

><p><strong><span>So I'm sick, yeah. I wrote this while I was a bit out of it, but I hope it wasn't bad. I have an ending in mind, its just the hard part is figuring out the chain-of-<span>events to ****lead up to it. Still, I think I have some, so yeah.  
><strong>

**Still, if you have questions that haven't**** answered, let me know! I have a small list of "to answer" questions at the moment, but I'm sure there are some you have I won't be able to answer unless you bring it up to me! So come on!**

**Make sure to review, and read on fellow bronies!**


	25. Chapter 25: Heaven

**-Earth, Light's Location-**

Light closed his eyes in thought. "... most of this... it would not have happened if I had accepted the truth. This fact that I am not a God, that their rules didn't apply." Ace was under him, barely breathing as his wounds were treated.

To both of them, Ace's death, both this mortal form and his spirit, was very much a possibility.

"I lost my position as god of Equestria, threw Leon's life out of balance, caused the death of the governing force of existance..." He rambled on and on, trying to make sense of his past actions. "All for my facade. Convincing myself I had these limits..." He looked at his dying friend. "I'm sorry, Ace. I really screwed things up."

All of the time he had spent, from the time he and his... "sister's" creation of the Figures, he had hated his powers. He watched the imperfect worlds form around him, he began to fear his own powers, and what temptations would come with using them. After all, there was a god he had loved... and he watched in horror as his own power had spiraled out of control and killed her. And so he had made a deal with Oblivion.

Both agreed to disappear. The figures were there, the worlds could be born without the interference of creation and destruction. Origination fell in love with these worlds, this small specks of love, and lowered himself to the status of a mere god, sealing away as much of his power in the process.

To him, to the worlds around him, he was no longer The Origination. He was Light.

Was.

And now, he stood there.

...was...

"... life isn't fair... is it, Ace?" Light smiled solemnly at Ace as he channeled immense amounts of magic through his friend's wound.

After a small mount of time, he judged his friend's condition stable enough to swap worlds. He picked Ace up on his back and walked through a gate, leading to the location of Aria.

**-Fancypants' Restaurant, Nyx's Location-**

I sat there with all the things Twilight had said flowing through my mind.

"I was a... hu... man..." She frowned as I contemplated all that had happened. Did all those things really happen? Then again, if there was anyone I felt I could trust, it would be this unicorn in front of me. I was especially silent as I learned of how I died.

Twilight... she wasn't a killer. I could see her feelings in her eyes.

Regret.

After a long, awkward silence, I smiled and tried to move the conversation forward. "...and what of these past two years, then?"

The story continued as our meals arrived, I had an unusual soup whose name I could not pronounce, while Twilight had ordered a grass salad and some haycakes. While we ate, she told me about how her friend's "happily ever afters". Rainbow Dash and the Starlights. Fluttershy and her renown as an animal expert. Pinkie Pie and her success at Sugarcube Corner. Applejack's expanded farm. Rarity's clothing shop. And of course, finally... Twilight's coronation.

"...I wish I could have been there... For every single one of you..." I said with a hint of melancholy in my voice.

"It wasn't something you could control. You're here now, right? That's all that matters." She smiled as the waiter came and refilled out glasses with water. He introduced himself as the owner and smiled.

"Why hello, Twilight Sparkle. Fancy meeting you here." He smiled, "Enjoying the cuisine?"

She smiled, "Of course, some of the best food I've had in a long time!"

Fancypants chuckled and bowed. "Only the best for the newest young Princess." He stood back up and smiled. "Consider this meal, 'on the house' as my personal congratulations for your new status."

"Oh, no. I couldn't do that. Thank you, but I do insist on paying for this meal. Still, thank you for the offer."

He smiled, "Why thank you for your kindness, Princess." Then, facing me while still speaking to Twilight, "And who might your friend be? Your coltfriend?"

Both of our faces lit up a bright red, but I recovered first. "I wish! I don't think I could ever be so lucky as to get the affections of... well... Twilight." I smiled and lightly chuckled as I held out my hoof. "My name is... Leon. Or Nyx. Nice to meet you."

He grabbed my hoof and shook it, "And I am Fancypants. Pleasure meeting you as well." Fancypants nudged a nearby waiter, which actually happened to be ours. "This table's meal is on the house."

"Hey!" Twilight yelled at Fancypants, who merely laughed and walked away. I couldn't help but giggle at Twilight's reaction. She was annoyed, but even she smiled after a short period of time.

"He seems nice." I said with a smile.

Twilight looked over to an approaching waiter while responding to me, "Yeah, he is."

"Would the ma'am like dessert? Or how about the gentlecolt?" The waiter said, smiling and bowing to the princess as he listed off the different choices.

Twilight sighed, "Well... nothing I guess." She really didn't want to not pay for anything extra, but the waiter smiled. Fancy Pants had been several steps ahead.

"Mister Fancy Pants specifically told me not to leave until both of you order dessert."

Twilight groaned and slammed her head against the table before finally settling with a chocolate-ice cream cake. I myself ordered a turtle cheesecake. I wasn't sure how Twilight's dessert was, though she seemed to enjoy it a lot, but my cheesecake was the best thing I could remember tasting. It was delicious beyond belief. I smiled as I finished the dish and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

**-The Birth and End of All Worlds-**

The fight was one-sided. Aria simply wasn't strong enough to hold herself against the chakram-weilding god by herself. She slowly gave more and more ground to the god, who effortlessly deflected her blows while returning devastating attacks with relative ease.

"I told you Aria, you are foolish, weak, and-"

"Right." It was Light, he appeared with Ace on his back, as he was still in the form he preferred, the form of a Winged Unicorn.

He let the limp body, pierced through the chest, fall to the seat that Ace had occupied for the past two years. Aria was horrified, but the chakrams that had been intended for her disintegrated before they reached her.

"What did you do, Light?" The god who had been fighting Aria raged as his weapons were whisked away without his discretion." He turned to face the being in a threatening gesture.

"...you're different..." A woman's voice called out from one of the spectating gods that sat around the table.

Light smiled. "Of course. Things rarely stay the same, after all."

They, one by one, began to notice his aura of power that wafted around him.

The same female god said, with a hint of suspicion, as to what had occurred, "Light, where did you obtain this power?"

His simple response was, "I always had it. However, this isn't the time for questions." He turned and opened a white gate that lead away from the Birth and End of All Worlds. "I recommend you listen to Aria."

As he walked through the game, the words of Aria seemed to linger in the air. _"And if I don't have my request granted, there is always force."_

They turned to face Aria. "So you want us to go to Equestria?" She nodded, completely serious.

Aria was dead serious, "There is a danger, and I'm hoping we can do something about it." She turned to the gate, picked up Ace, and left through the gate.

The gods sat there silently. "...I suppose its time we left this place... isn't it?" A single god said.

They nodded, and each one began to walk out of the world they had remained in for two years.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Spitfire's revelations were of shock and worry, and as she looked over the book, she began to think of all that had happened. "So... Leon..." She replaced the book's location, taking extra care to remember its location.

However, she paused and looked around when she remembered the loud noises from earlier. She walked out of the library, and paused almost immediately.

"...G-guards?" There were bodies strewn haphazardly along the hallway: many in painful-looking positions. She jumped up as she realized, "The princesses!" She flew through the hallway with unparalleled speed and agility as she rushed towards the royal quarters, but as she rounded the last corner to the room of Princess Celestia...

"L-luna!" There was a hole in the wall, and Celestia was on the floor, obviously hurt. Luna was panicking as her sister lay there in pain. The guards were disabled, her sister was severely hurt, and she couldn't call for help as she was doing everything she could to treat the wounds of her sister. She couldn't leave her sister's side, it was a no-win situation. Luna looked up at the yellow pegasus who called her name.

"W-what happened!" Both ponies were panicking.

"P-please contact the hospital!" Luna said, frantically using spells to help stop Celestia's bleeding, treating her internal wounds the best she could. It was difficult, so multitasking was out of the question. Spitfire took off towards the hospital. "... and Princess Twilight..." Luna added as Spitfire took off, her years of flying skills being pushed to the limit as she flew towards the nearest hospital at speeds that outmatched even Rainbow Dash's... or at least the Rainbow Dash from two years ago.

**-Ponyville-**

The ponies returned home with everyone wondering about how the castle reopening had went. Of course, they all god news that was more than they had bargained for, and by that afternoon, Twilight becoming Princess was the only thing anyone talked about. Of course, they all began to plan a party for her return, everyone was excited to hear that even though she was a princess, she still wanted to stay in Ponyville. Of course Spike was the most ecstatic.

"Yippie!" He said, rushing off to do something-or-another when Fluttershy mentioned Twilight was staying, causing her to jump at his sudden action.

"Sorry Fluttershy, its just I need to clean up the place! I mean, its really messy right now and- oof!" He walked right into a door that he had expected open and landed on his rear. "A-anyways, I'd better get cleaning!" He grabbed a feather duster and began running all over the house.

Meanwhile, Rarity had been swarmed by people looking at the photos of Twilight's coronation dress. She was already swamped with work, and after that display in Canterlot, the orders for her work virtually began to double. She smiled as she began to work on several dresses at once. Of course, she kept thinking about how she would ever top her masterpiece. She kept smiling to herself, for every magazine she had imported from Canterlot had the same image on the front page: Twilight Sparkle in Rarity's Dress.

AppleJack and Big Macintosh smiled, apple-bucking season, at least for now, was over. She smiled knowing there would be plenty of time for resting for the next few days, so she decided to wander over to Pinkie Pie's place at Sugarcube Corner.

And of course, she was already preparing for the party that the Princess would be welcomed back to. It needed to be her most fantabulastic party ever. It was difficult trying to prepare all of the ideas she had for the party, but she was sure she could pull it off, and with Applejack's help, it was going to be a massive hit, even if it wasn't the superly-awesome party of all time.

But of course, it would be.

**-Cantlerlot Streets-**

I smiled at Twilight as she led the way towards the Castle. The streets were deserted due to the time of night it was, and as me and Twilight smiled and laughed and giggled and joked on our trek to Canterlot, we saw Spitfire flying through the sky towards the Hospital Twilight had stayed at.

"Huh, I wonder why she's in such a hurry..." I said to Twilight, who shrugged in response. We thought nothing of it and continued to walk towards the castle, engrossed in a deep conversation.

"Twilight, Nyx! I've been looking all over for you!" A voice called out from behind us.

"Trixie? Is there something wrong with the hotel?" She was worried and seemed to be wary of her surroundings. She was magically levitating a note.

"I...just got a letter from the P-princess. A-and..." She released the magic, letting the parchment fall from the air into my hooves.

"_...somepony is after Leon..."_ It was hastily scrawled, but the note was obviously from Twilight's teacher.

The wind ominously blew through the area as Twilight's demeanor changed from joyful to completely serious.

Twilight felt chills down her spine as she remembered how easily Leon had been captured on the train two years ago, and how powerless she was to stop it. But this time, it was different. Whoever was after Leon had her to get through, she closed her eyes and looked at the castle. The pony, whoever it was, had made it to the castle.

She closed her eyes... The Princesses... Were they hurt? Whoever it was had managed to get into the Castle through its small army of Guards. Spitfire had most likely rushed to the hospital for medical aid, that would explain her urgency. Then she shook her head. Rushing towards the person after Leon would be a foal's course of action, and no matter how much it pained her, she knew the smartest thing to do would be to protect Leon and to hide him.

"We're going to Ponyville." She said matter-of-factly. "I'll get everything set up, don't worry." She looked at me, and with a determined look, simply said, "This isn't going to be like last time. You're going to be safe. I'll make sure of it." And with that, she summoned fourth immense power, transporting all three of us from our location in Canterlot to her home in Ponyville, which, to Spike's dismay, was nowhere near finished when it came to cleaning.

**-Canterlot Streets, Leon's Location-**

"Finally." I said halfheartedly. I wasn't really upset, but I had turned the corner, and in front of me was the pony I had searched for time and again. Leon

With him was a light-greyish cyan pony and...

...Is that-?

I began to approach them, with no real plan other than to incapacitate the two mares and take down the stallion, his target.

And would you believe it? They disappeared from sight. I stood there for a few moments, expressionless.

How did I feel when I saw that?

I didn't.

I would simply have to find him, wherever he was, and end his life. Simple as that.

**-Leon's Grave-**

The grave marker cracked more and more, an invisible force striking against it repeatedly in a desperate effort to destroy the marble slab. Next to it was a chess set, showing pieces moving deliberately towards a single, unknown goal. Finally, there was a book, whose insight into the events that had occurred seemed to be unparalleled.

And there stood Rainbow Dash. She felt... driven to be here by a force she couldn't describe.

"Leon... where did you come from? Why... why are you here?" She walked through the field, which ponies had long stayed away from, whose mystical properties had warded off all the ponies but those who had known Leon the most.

And by that, the only ponies who had visited in the past two years, at least before this fateful night, were Twilight, Celestia, and Luna.

She wandered through the beautiful scene, enthralled by the chess set, the marble marker that seemed a millenea old, and finally the glowing book. However, as she went to reach for it, the light around it rejected the presence of her hoof, pushing it away violently. She jumped back and shook her hoof after complaining audibly to nopony in particular.

And then she looked to crystalline lake that sparkled in the night. Rainbow Dash took off, flying above the small lake, swirling around as the sparkling water reflected her every move. She searched into the depths of the auroral lake, searching for answers that seemed so elusive to all of the ponies close to Twilight.

To those friends, it was a story whose depth was incomprehensible.

And as Rainbow Dash flew above this lake, finally breaking the silence by crying out in frustration as to what to do, she turned back to the look at the book. "...please..." She approached it, worried it would refuse to show her the secrets once more, and as she reached for it, the orb of light slowly gave way for her hooves to reach into it.

And the book opened to a single page, on it the insignia of night and day, the symbol of Equestria. A deep, calm voice called out, causing her to drop the book and jump back.

"_This, Rainbow Dash, is a story that you shouldn't know."_

She went to speak to the mysterious voice, but before she could utter a voice, it continued.

"_But as a friend of Twilight... No... as a key that had helped make the last story have the ending it did... I suppose you have earned the right... Just remember, though. The things you will learn, can never be unheard."_

Rainbow Dash smiled, and let the voice spin a tale whose detail left vivid images in her mind, whose truths left the pegasus stunned, and even speechless. After the voice's tale had finished, Rainbow Dash had only one reaction.

She had a huge grin, "So Leon's ever cooler than I thought."

The voice was silent for the longest time, but finally, it responded to what she said.

"_...maybe you're right, Rainbow Dash..." _A slow, deep laugh followed it. It continued, _"I'm in good hands..."_

Rainbow Dash did a double-take with those final words. "Wh- what? Who are you anyways?"

The voice stayed silent for the longest time, and a breeze picked up in the lake. _"... I am the clouds you always move. The earth you've cultivated. The animals you've encountered. The sweets you've eaten. The books you've read. The dresses you've worn..."_

All her friend's passions?

"_...I am a friend, always have I watched over you and those close to you..."_

Rainbow Dash sat there in realization of what the voice had prepared to say.

"_Rainbow Dash... I am this land. I am Equestria."_

**-The Spires of Reality-**

Oblivion repeatedly struck out at the final seal defending Equestria from her interference. A small marble slab under the guise of a grave. She was thoroughly annoyed such a small seal could cause so much trouble for her. She had managed to slip by the seal once, if only for a moment, before it had rejected her presence, and she had already caused a brief moment of havoc. However, she had to tread carefully. If she acted too quickly, her sibling, The Origination, would notice.

And at this point, him reinforcing a seal would be devastating for her plans. Why else had she gone to Earth? Take out Ace, force Light to heal him, keep him from returning for as long as possible.

But she was running out of time, she could only stall Light for so much longer.

She closed her eyes and focused, sending another massive wave of energy towards the marble slab in Equestria, forcing another crack to appear on the surface.

...alone...

...afraid...

...lost...

**-Earth, *1 week later*-**

Sparkles emanated from the remains of the city of Heaven. Death had been everywhere, some souls going to their next lives an other worlds, and some souls destroyed in the rage that had been Oblivion's.

But within in the rubble of the city, things began to fade away. The deceased bodies, the wreckage of the skyscrapers, the ruined roads...

In its place were lush meadows and rivers.

… and the world was none the wiser.

The residents simply disappeared from existence. No information anywhere. Not in the internet, not in the many established governments' most detailed files, and not in the minds of the closest family members of those that had lived in the city...

The city itself was gone, thoroughly wiped from every person's mind...

...what city? This place was always a pristine meadow.

But the name... Heaven... it seemed to not want to go away.

It promised joy. Relief. A chance for success. A chance to live in a paradise. A chance to be in a place that... that _wasn't_ Earth.

And the word, it imprinted itself in many places. In ancient books promising an afterlife. In minds of those who refused to the world change unnoticed. In paintings of angels and gods.

And they weren't wrong. Everything needs a name after all.

And thus, Earth found a new word to describe their afterlife. And they... they believed it had been with them for all eternity. An ancient word that had been with them since the earliest of days. A word that had written itself into the most ancient of texts.

Heaven. Nirvana. Reincarnation.

And at the same time, for this planet, the story of Leon came to a close.

For his legacy disappeared with Heaven.

* * *

><p><strong><span>So yeah, two things.<span>  
><span>First of all, Someone named NS6590 gave me a suggestion to see if I could get a commission to get the scythes that Light uses as a work of art. Sadly, I'm not ar<span>tistically inclined, so if any of you know/are a person capable of making something along these lines, you would be a hero.  
><span>Secondly, I was sick, so the pro is when I was awake I could work on this and get it out this early. The con is that as soon as I get<span> back to school I'll be swamped with work. Meaning there may or may not be a new chapter out this week.**

**...****crap.**

**Well, whatever. Read on fellow bronies and remember to leave a review!**

**You guys are awesome!  
><strong>


	26. Chapter 26: Perfect Timing

**-Ponyville, Nyx's Location-**

Twilight had left the day after we had returned to Ponyville to check on the condition of Canterlot Castle, and while she hadn't returned, she had sent several letters stating that she would be there for the time being, until the guard situation had calmed down. So, even though it had been a week, everything was fine and normal.

Apparently, all of the royal guards had been taken out by... me.

When I heard this, I was silent. Confused, but silent. I spent days doing different things. One was at Sweet Apple Acres, where I helped the Apple Family move some supplies for Jam and help put away some of the tools they used for making jam. Another had been spent making cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie and setting up for a surprise party for Twilight, as it had yet to be prepared when she had first returned. One day was even spent helping Fluttershy with her animals, something I found much more fun that I had expected.

Today, however, was spent at the Carousel Boutique, with Rarity. Spike had tagged along today, but he seemed to be zoned out as we helped the fashion-obsessed pony design some of the most beautiful dresses I had seen. On the shelf I noticed a picture of Twilight Sparkle, in a dress that seemed masterfully crafted. I asked Rarity about it, and she smiled in a thoughtful fashion. "Yes, that was at her coronation a few days ago. I made it, and it is most definitely my masterpiece. A blessing I suppose, but since people saw it, I've been awfully busy. Thanks again to you and Spike for your generous offer of assisting me today, I've made more progress than I would have done if I were alone."

I smiled and Spike began to get hearts in his eyes, obviously infatuated with Rarity, mumbling something along the lines of "Anything for you, Rarity." I smiled and shook my head, turning away to grab some fabric that Rarity was going to use on her next dress.

**-Canterlot Castle, Twilight's temporary quarters.-**

Twilight came out of the bath, feeling refreshed and anew. She shook herself clean and wiped herself down with a towel, before putting on her tiara and leaving the room. As she opened the door to the room she was staying in, she noticed Luna already there, waiting patiently.

"How is Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, as Luna had just been at the overloaded hospital. Luna smiled, showing that her condition was stable.

"She'll be okay, but I don't know if she'll be out of her bed any time soon. It was more than a couple of fractures when..." She looked down, preferring to avoid the topic of how the castle had been invaded, by a single pony no less.

"How about the Guards?" Twilight asked, even though Spitfire had been placed in charge, by Twilight, to look over them.

Luna smiled, "I was just talking with Spitfire, it seems that most of the guards will be out before too long." Twilight sighed, relieved that they were all recovering well.

She herself, had taken up the duties of setting up organized groups to find the invader of the castle with the remaining Guards, who had not been on-duty during the Castle attack. There was no sign of him yet, but that didn't stop her from sending every last available guard to every possible place the person could be. The castle was safe, she was there, but still.

She thought to herself, _...who... who is this? Isn't... isn't L eon with me? But..._

She recalled how a god had interrupted a conversation she had with Light, saying Leon was on Earth... _Is this... the other Leon? How..._

Who was this stranger? Twilight, sitting in front of several detailed maps of Equestria in the Canterlot Library, could only guess as to this being's origin.

**-Location Unknown-**

Rainbow Dash flew through the skies, nopony had seen her in the past week. She made sure of it. She flew low, just above the treeline, her mission being the only thing on her mind.

She said, remembering the instructions she had been given. "Where is it... He said it was around here..."

She spotted a field close to Everfree forest. A place she Equestria had implanted into her mind. A place Leon had once been. The location of his "birth" into this world.

It was significantly different. Still was it

And there, etched into the ground, was a circle of runic symbols made from an orange light. All around were lines, going all over, glowing and fading with a flow similar to an ocean's waves on a calm night. She looked to the ground and smiled.

The world brought her here. Why? She was not sure.

And as she sat there, the runes began to glow brighter and brighter, shooting small rays of light into the air. She stepped backwards to see what was going to happen. "What the-"

And from the light appeared several figures. She recognized two of them from the Battle of Canterlot, or at least the events leading up to it...

Under her, the ground faintly glowed as if Equestria were telling her who these beings were, and suddenly she understood. Aria... Light...

Of course, they weren't alone, as other beings, all in different forms, took shape from around them. Other Gods, all radiating with confidence and power.

Light looked over to Rainbow Dash with a serious expression on his face. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. " Light exhaled, "Sorry we had to meet at a time like this." Suddenly, Rainbow Dash understood what was going on.

The events that had occurred two years ago.

...Those events...

They would happen again.

**-Ponyville, Leon's Location-**

Avoiding those guards was a simple task. Sure, it had been a more-than simple task trying to locate this boy, but I was pretty sure that he would be here, in Ponyville. All of the homes here were familiar to me. All but... this... this tree?

I walked to the door and knocked on it. Seeing no response, I shrugged and invited myself in. At first glance, it seemed more like a library than a home, with books lining every inch of the room. There were several doors, and a staircase lead up to a second floor. Suddenly, a surge of pain pulsed through my head, and grabbing it, I saw a scene. I was climbing the ladder in the room, and... that pony came walking down the staircase, laughing about my behavior when I fell from the height.

… I looked at that ladder, and suddenly, I caught myself... smiling? I shook my head, ridiculous.

I turned to the door to leave. Searching the town would be simple, all I had to do was find the pony that was similar to me in appearance. I opened the door, and froze as I came face to face with a small dragon I remembered as Spike...

And of course, I was lucky today.

There he was, my target. I smiled as the first thing I did was rush towards the black unicorn, a single battleaxe forming in my mouth as I ran.

**-Ponyville, Nyx's Location-**

_What! Who is this pony?_ I stepped backwards unconsciously as this oddly-familiar looking unicorn stepped out of the doorway we were approaching. But I'm here... not in there. _I'm so confused..._

However, before I had time to fully comprehend what had occurred, the unicorn was on top of me, swinging rapidly with a battleaxe that had somehow materialized from nowhere. Stepping backwards and avoiding his strikes, I was oblivious to another axe that seemed possessed coming down towards me from above. However, moments before it struck, I saw part of the blade shimmer in the corner of my eye. With reflexes I had never known I had, I rolled sideways. Once I had landed on my feet, I noticed fire.

"Wha-!" I saw a ring of fire forming around me the ground in the circle beginning to light up. Behind me ponies stopped and as they saw two identical ponies fighting in the center of Ponyville, however, when they saw an unexplainable pillar of fire rising up into the air around me.

"...missed me..." I said, panting and holding my right shoulder. There was a burn there, where I had not quite moved my hoof in time to avoid all of the fire.

**-Everfree Forest-**

Rainbow Dash flew towards the town as the Gods followed her below. With extreme speed, she and Light flew through the forest towards Ponyville, worried when they saw a monolithic tower of fire consume the sky.

Light, gliding just above the treeline, turned his head to face Rainbow Dash. "I'll go ahead, guide the others to Ponyville." Rainbow Dash nodded in acknowledgment.

He faded from view, teleporting to the location of the blast. The gods below were silent, they all understood what had caused the sudden explosion. However, the thing they failed to comprehend, was that their true enemy would be infinitely stronger.

"... So... Rainbow Dash. This world of Equestria..." A female god spoke from under her, she continued to fly as she responded.

"Yeah?" The air blew through Rainbow's Hair as the gods deftly dodged all of the trees to move as quickly as they could.

"... your god... Light... he seems to think this world perfect." Rainbow Dash's expression changed from determination to surprise in a split second.

Still, she faced forward, so the god could not see her shock. She was silent for a moment before responding. "... he did?" Rainbow smiled to herself. Still, she thought long and hard for the right answer. "Every world has flaws, I guess. I mean, perfect is impossible, right? Still, I mean, everyone's pretty happy most of the time. So yeah. I guess it is pretty nice..." She trailed off.

The god was silent for the longest time before speaking. "...I see..." The rest of the trip to Ponyville was in silence.

**-Ponyville, Leon's Location-**

I was impressed, that pony managed to flawlessly dodge all but my last attack. Still, he was weak, and retaliation was something I wouldn't have to fear. Furthermore, he was injured, blood was trailing from his right shoulder, leaping backwards out of it was smart of him. Had he rolled forwards, which was both easier and faster, he may not have injured his shoulder, but he'd be right in front of his attacker, unguarded and unprepared for several attacks. Something that most ponies most likely would have done.

"...missed me..."

This pony was stubborn, but he couldn't last much longer. Spike had ducked into the house, no doubt trying to call for help, but it was too late. In mere moments...

I was halted, the battleaxe in my mouth suddenly blocked by a scythe, only a foot away from my target. _Damn..._

I knew who it was, and spun around, forgetting about my previous target. "...Light. Here already I see."

He did a soft chuckle. "Yes. I see you've been busy, Leon."

Behind him, another being took form. _That_ pony. Complete in a tiny tiara.

"Leon!" She said before pausing. Two identical forms were in front of her, one injured and the other facing Light. She stood there and looked at them in surprise, and then looked to Light.

Damn the purple pony, whoever she is.

**-Ponyville, Nyx's Point of View-**

I was alive... He moves so quickly, I would never have been able to dodge such lightning-fast speed, not with my shoulder the way it was... but luck was on my side. A purple scythe formed in front of me, deflecting the attack. Behind the other me stood a black, magnificent-looking winged-unicorn, whose imposing scythes of six different colors seemed to reflect the colors of... what were they called again? The... Elements of Harmony.

But this, at least to me, wasn't the biggest event, for behind him, another pony took form. "Leon!" She appeared. I had an overwhelming urge to run to her, but as soon as I tried to move, my shoulder gave out, casing me to collapse to the ground. "Ugh..."

She was shocked to see two Leons. She knew there was two, but it was still odd seeing double. Light prepared a counterattack on the other Leon, and I stumbled with my three working hooves over to the entrance of the library. Twilight rushed, as quickly as she could, to me as my other self clashed with Light with tremendous force, but as soon as he could, Light appeared behind my other self, placing a single hoof on the back of his head, causing a blast of light and pressurized air to expand rapidly, blowing over many unsecured items, stripping flowers of their petals, and shaking the windows and doors of many of the nearby structures. However, as things calmed, it became evident... both the other me, and Light simply... disappeared. I looked on, trying to comprehend what had happened, but it was just too quick.

"You okay?" Twilight stood over me, smiling and sitting down as I lay on my side. My shoulder was in pain, but I shook my head, no. I really didn't want to worry the unicorn. Her attention towards me, however, was short lived, as her friends called out to her, rushing past the charred circle of Earth to us.

"Twi', what is goin' on here?" AppleJack rushed towards the home of the purple unicorn as her other friends, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, followed.

"My goodness, after all of that fire appeared, I was worried about what could have happened!" Rarity said. She seemed to have dropped what she was doing when it had happened. Her glasses were still on her face.

Fluttershy was missing, most likely because she was too afraid of the explosion, or whatever that had caused it. It was understandable, and something completely expected. Pinkie Pie, however, more than made up for the lack of the pony's presence with her energetic list of worries that seemed to have no end streamed out of her mouth. Still, as the friends met in a group hug, more surprises awaited.

"Hey, Leon! Is that you?" A group of beings rushed towards us, all in different forms. Two were at the front.

I looked up to them blankly, and Twilight looked over with a concerned expression on their faces. One introduced herself as Aria, a serious, and somewhat imposing looking female who, in the group, was the only one as a pony. I was surprised to see her has a winged-unicorn, but I shook my head. However, as the discussion moved from subject to subject, from why they were here, to combat some force named "Oblivion" to about how I seemed to have forgotten everything, and that there was a duplicate of me, I heard an unusual word.

"...so they're gods..." I said, simply stating what I had heard, trying to process as much information as I could. Aria, who was one of these, smiled and put her hoof on my wounded shoulder, and while it still hurt, it seemed to numb the pain. I smiled. "Thank you, Aria."

She shook her head, confusing me. "No, it is the least I could do. You may not remember it, but you're a hero of mine." She turned around to face the group of other... gods, who all seemed to be observing me with some interest. "Listen, Ace isn't here because he was hurt, seriously I might add, by this dangerous being. Light seems to think she may try something funny, so be careful.

Twilight was silent for a moment. "...she... So the other Leon... he's the least of our worries?"

She, along with everypony else, was silent for the longest time.

"...so where is Leon and Light?" Aria said, changing the subject.

Twilight explained what had happened, adding on at the end she suspected Light simply teleported the two fighters away so as to prevent damage from occurring to Ponyville. She said it innocently and with a smile on her face.

It was the one time I clearly remember how wrong Twilight could be.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

The guards were back on their old duty. Those who had recovered from the attack, which was a vast majority of the guards, were back on duty. While the infiltrator from a week before had been located, and as they rallied to send a small group of elite soldiers to Ponyville, they had been told it would not be necessary, as one of the Princesses, namely Twilight Sparkle, was already there, dealing with the problem.

Every single guard was on edge because of it. They had devoted their lives to countless years of training, and yet as the events from one week ago had demonstrated, they were swept aside like pieces on a game board that had just ended. Then, to be told their protection was not needed, they felt devastated.

Morale seemed low, and even the most professional of guards seemed to show it in their demeanor, even when they stood outside of the room of Princess Celestia, who was still recovering from the attack.

Spitfire noticed it even more, as the guards escorting her around town seemed to have a slight slump in their step. They even forgot, at moments, to look where they were walking, stumbling once or twice on the journey from the Canterlot Hospital to the Castle.

As she held the book titled The King in her mouth, she walked towards the Princess of Sun's chambers. She had been injured severely, and would by no means have the ability to function as a ruler for the foreseeable future. However, Princess Luna, though swamped with work, seemed to handle the duties of her sister quite fine. Twilight had taken the duty of recovering from the castle attack, both repairs, coordinating search parties, and the like, severely reducing her co-ruler's load. In fact, Spitfire got to become close friends with her, what with the constant asking of the guards' conditions and whatnot.

Spitfire walked into the room of the recovering celestial ruler, dismissing the nurse who had been stationed there. While Celestia was in stable condition, a nurse was always there for regular medication administration – generally anesthetics to numb the pain – and for giving advice on what the princess should be served during her meals to help her best heal in a way that did not interfere with the medicines she was given, not that she ate very often. As the sleeping princess slept, Spitfire sat down and began reading the book, first to herself, but eventually -as the princess had awoken- aloud. She spoke of the events in the book with a clarity that was amplified for her audience tenfold, and as she did so, the princess avidly listened. To her, the story seemed to be more complete, more whole than she had remembered. At the end, Spitfire closed the book, and looked up at the princess.

She, during the past week, had studiously combed through each detail of the book, trying to find flaws in the story, something that didn't fit. Believing, to her, was a right something should earn, but flaws? There were none, as each detail seemed to fit perfectly into reality. She placed the book on the floor by the bed, and looked to the princess with inquiring eyes, even though she spoke not a word.

The princess, who had barely spoken during the time she had been injured, mostly due to the fact she was too weak, said the first words she had in a while.

"...I love that story... It's been my favorite..." She said, silently, "... for about two years now..."

Spitfire saw the knowing sparkle in the Princess's eye. "So it's real, then?" It sounded slightly out of surprise, lightly out of awe, and slightly out of the need to be quiet. The princess simply nodded.

"...but keep it a secret, okay?" She mumbled, "I don't think ponies... would take it too well if they found out we were Zombies." She let loose a small smile.

Spitfire chuckled lightly, though the princess was hurt, she still managed to find humor and happiness. To Spitfire, that in itself showed a sign of strength, but before she could say anything else, the princess was areas fast asleep, unconscious from the effort it took to talk with her subject.

**-The Spires of Reality-**

Oblivion had done it, the marble slab had finally cracked open. She smiled, she had spent tireless hours trying to crack it open without Light discovering the fact. She smiled and shook her head, laughing at the defenses that had weakened over the thousands of years.

Of course, the slab was only two years old, before that, the seal had resided in Leon, even when he lived on Earth as a human. It was a clever trick by Light, and he perfectly timed the events so that when she did finally locate him, he had already been moved to Ponyville. She, then, could not interfere, not with Light being so attentive to the boy, but when he vanished, it was obvious the seal bound itself to the Earth he disappeared from.

And so the Seal, which had first resided in the Elements of Harmony and transferred over to the mortal Leon, bound itself to the Earth it stood on. Of course, as soon as Light noticed, he erected the marble slab, marking the place Leon disappeared from.

Oblivion smiled, her biggest challenge had been a simple mortal, one who, oddly enough, had recently adopted her name. Well, at least half of him did.

...Nyx...

She was sitting on her knees, her palms channeling energy into the spire that represented the world of Equestria. She smiled at her victory, the seal, which she had reinforced around three years ago with false seals, if only to fool Light, were easily undone, and her work was finally over.

Equestria's door was finally open. She stood up from the spire with a smile, before closing her eyes.

"As anxious as I am for taking these first steps into this new journey..." She moved from where she was, jumping off the monolithic spire she was on to look at another, miniscule one that was only four meters tall. Normally, it was lifeless, the god who controlled it had died years ago. However, in this case, there were two residents.

She smiled as she walked directly towards the spire, and as she walked in, the surface seemed to morph into a liquid, enveloping her body as it entered the small world.

Her trap had worked.

The war would soon be over.

* * *

><p><strong><span>I have been busy, to be sure. Just like I predicted, I was swamped with work, but I'm done with most of it. I also got the PS Vita, which is fun for sure. However, I digress. My next story is already something I am planning. I have begun writing a pilot chapter, though I am taking it slower than this one. It has a simpler storyline, but<span> I'll spend less time explaining, and more time developing characters and advancing the plot, rereading this, I felt the pace to be a bit too fast at spots, so I'll work on that. Furthermore, I'd like some help.  
><strong>

**I need to go over this story, looking for questions that remain unanswered. It is a challenge trying to keep the multiple storylines apart, and so I might miss something here or there. If something is odd, something is out of place, or you have a question the story brings up that I don't seem to answer, by all means, ask. I need your help! Thanks to you all for reading this, it really means a lot.**

**Read on, fellow Bronies! -Eyeclops**


	27. Chapter 27: Profectio

**-$IK...38dxW#*#F-**

Light found himself somewhere completely different from Ponyville. Underneath him lay Leon, knocked out, but otherwise perfectly fine. The strike Light had inflicted had done exactly what it was supposed to. Knock out, but not kill Leon. However, that strike had done something else, triggering a dormant spell inside of Light's target, transporting them to this realm, and, as Light observed, the entire world was engulfed in a giant seal, intended to keep him from leaving. However, his mind was concerned with what had almost transpired in Ponyville just moments before.

"... If either one of the Leons die..." Light mumbled, he had been just in time. Those two had unstable, incomplete souls, if one died and was released from their body, that fragment of the soul would rush back to the other soul's body, and if the souls, both attuned to other worlds, were to collide and stay in either world for any length of time... And now, with the disappearance for the two years...

That... disaster he had feared... it could happen the moment the two souls merged.

Light shook his head. He could fix that... as long as he was with the remaining body when the other died and-

"...Nice to see you again... Light..." The female voice interrupted Light's thought.

"...Hello... Oblivion..." was his simple response, "What brings you here?" He knew just as well as Oblivion. Both beings knew what would happen next.

"Checkmate, Light. The game is over. I'm simply here to take back Leon." She said, and though Light faced away from her, she smiled and held out her hand.

"... so I guess I'm stuck, then?" Light said, turning to face Oblivion, who smiled kindly in return.

"You mean seal you in this world? Regrettably..." She said silently, training off, almost as if though having second thoughts. However, she recovered and shook her head.

Light stood still, looking at the spot she had been standing while she walked up right next to him and grabbed the body of Leon, picking him up in her arms and fading away. "Light... Nyx is my name. Not Leon's."

He was silent for several minutes before he slowly shook his head and looked to the earth below.

"... Good luck, Twilight... … Leon... or Nyx..." He smiled as he looked at the barren expanse. "Looks like I'll be sitting out this chess match..."

The winds, performing for their first living witness in over a millennium, whipped up the fine layer of sand from the ground to whirl around Light, obscuring his vision of the dead world.

"Looks like she doesn't know... She didn't need to trap me to win this war..." He coughed, and blood dripped from his mouth onto the ground.

**-Ponyville-**

While Trixie had gone to stay at a local inn, both Twilight and I had returned to the library that night. I tried to sit down and read a book, but during the time it took for Twilight to magically levitate a book to me, I had fallen over out of exhaustion and fallen asleep so quickly I had not even felt the impact. When I woke up I realized she had moved me to the room that I was staying in.

Of course, Twilight had stayed up, talking with the different Gods about the infinite worlds and what it was like to be a "keeper of the worlds". She jotted down notes as they talked, something not completely unusual for a pony whose life seemed devoted to learning every mystery the universe had to reveal.

However, something seemed to be off to her ears. "...why did Light need us - as in Leon and I - if he could have saved Equestria by himself? And now, with this, _thing_ running around... What use do we all have? You said it yourself, all of us would be beaten right away by this Oblivion person."

Aria seemed in thought. "...I'm not sure in all honesty..."

I had watched silently from the doorway, a small scroll in my mouth as they chatted amongst themselves. "He's almost dead. That's why he needs us."

The people around me turned to look, curious as to what I had said.

"... I dreamed about this... place. It was supposed to be where Light lives. I think..." I walked over land laid the scroll by Twilight's feet. I had recalled the back space that somehow seemed remarkably comfortable. I had read this scroll, and it's contents, and when I awoke, there it lay, right beside me.

_ To whomever it may concern. The past few years have been fantastic. I have finally gotten to meet some of the ponies who live in the world I created. Two years ago, I overcame an obstacle that had placed this world in danger, all without placing myself at risk. However, this time, it seems like I'm not as fortunate._

…

_As of today, I've condemned myself. I removed a seal surpressing the power I had long ago attmpted to abandon, to forget about, and in my haste to do so, it seems I have made a slight mistake._

_Well, more than slight._

_If I can keep up the ruse, hopefully Oblivion won't notice the slight fluctuations, my only hope is that we can quell her anger before she does something irreversible. I know her true nature, it isn't like this..._

_I had always worried that if I had to remove the seal I had placed, I would make the mistake I did. I'm as doomed as Leon is... if one of his bodies dies, he may very well become unstable._

_I'm dead._

_Leon's dead._

_What now?_

… _Well, I suppose all I can do is roll the dice and see if the two ponies I trusted two years ago can show me what they're made of._

_They are the Guardians of Equestria, after all._

_And if you two are reading this. Good luck._

Everypony was silent before Aria punched the ground under her. She swore while pacing back and forth.

"Looks like we're screwed, huh, Aria." Someone stepped out from behind the ponies.

"Ace? How!" Aria was stunned.

Ace laughed weakly as he walked from behind the other gods. "Next time you go somewhere, don't leave me sitting at some chair in our little 'meeting room', okay? It's boring there."

He had a slight limp as he walked towards the scroll. "So anyways, I got a message from Light. He-" Ace coughed slightly, interrupting what he was saying. "Sounds like he's been caught in some trap Oblivion set."

Aria's face was one of pure horror.

"Kind of a small message, pretty much says he's stuck in some empty world, and he's gonna be out of commission," Ace said, doing an awkward shrug and stumbling sideways from his injury.

Aria's panicking severely contrasted Ace's demeanor. I walked up to Ace and helped list him up as everpony else panicked about the missing leader.

"...so why aren't you panicking like everypony else?" I quielky asked Ace exhaled as the God rested his weight on my shoulder.

"Well, I'm not too sure myself. When I got the message, it kinda seemed like he didn't mind being stuck. Guess it was because it didn't change anything, him being stuck..." Ace responded, a whisper so only I could hear.

I laughed. He was so laid back, he simply didn't worry because nothing changed. "So basically, you're saying, 'Don't worry, we were doomed either way.' Right?"

Ace shook his head, momentarily removing the smile on his face. "No, I don't think that's it. I'm not too sure, but I think Light has some faith in us." He exhaled and closed his eyes, "Even if we don't have it in ourselves."

"One more question." I said to Ace, "What was it like, fighting her?"

Ace smiled. "Fight? I didn't 'fight' her, buddy. Light did." He limped over to the tree, still having his weight on my body, and laid back against the tree, sliding to the ground in exhaustion at the same moment.

"So you don't have any idea?" My voice trailed off, I had sincerely hoped we would be able to discover something.

Ace smiled, "Not a one."

**-Canterlot Castle-**

Spitfire lay on the ground just outside of the castle, though just out of sight of the guards. She was bruised and bleeding as two beings stood over her. The first was Leon, the second was a blonde-haired, white-robed being that stood on two legs. Smiling, the one that was a unicorn walked over to the book that Spitfire held in her hands and picked it up. Then, turning around and saying nothing the two attackers walked away from the barely-conscious pegasus.

...

"Time you went home, don't you think, Leon?" Oblivion said to me as we walked through Canterlot.

"...yes, Oblivion." I said, thinking about what had happened in Ponyville. "You know, _his_ friends may pose more of a problem than we had thought. How do you propose taking care of them?"

Oblivion smiled and shook her head, "The only problem we had was with Light. And thanks to you, he's been dealt with."

She walked to the edge of Canterlot, most ponies were incapable of seeing us, a trick I had learned from Oblivion. We swiftly walked trhough the crowds of ponies as she approached the area looking over the grassy field below Equestria.

"Two years ago, I had Light lay out his hand, forcing him to show every trick I could." She had stopped, and leaned over the railing casually.

I was silent, listening to what she had to say. Not because I was curious, mind you, but because I had nothing else to do.

"I've trapped him, and after this is all over, I might even pay him a visit..." Oblivion did a soft laugh, not a hint of malevolence seemed to be in it.

I exhaled, and though it wasn't supposed to be anything but a normal breath, it was loud enough to catch Oblivion's attention.

And when she looked at me, she seemed genuinely happy. Not a single trace of evil resided in her face, and the smile and the sparkle in her eyes...

She seemed to be perfectly innocent.

Of course, that word was meaningless to me. I looked to her, and asked a question. "So, what drives you to do this, Oblivion? Why do you try so hard to kill this boy? To kill Twilight. To kill these gods. Does it have to do with this land?"

She looked at me, surprised, "I didn't expect _you_ to be so curious."

I smiled. "I may not seem like it, but a few small emotions have nagged at me these past few days, Oblivion. Annoyance at failing to kill Leon. A longing to return to Earth." I paused for a few moments, emphasizing my true curiosity as to this woman's motives. "A curiosity concerning your actions and what drive them."

Oblivion turned once again to the field of graves below.

"Because I love Light. He always wished I was gone. We never agreed on anything..."

I looked to her, my curiosity not fully sated. "What you've done seems a bit unusual for a person in love." I paused. "... not that I would know."

She lowered her head and made a small chuckle. "Yes... You're right. I suppose that's true. But Equestria. It consumed his life. We both decided that we would give up controlling the worlds, and so we disappeared, the only memories left of us manifesting as the Figures." She began to cry lightly, a stray teardrop occasionally falling from her face when she continued, though a weak smile was still sworn on her face, "I never wanted to give up my powers like he did. He was always afraid of them, you know. Though I guess I was too..."

I walked over to the edge of the fence, "So to get his love, you want to get rid of Equestria?"

Oblivion laughed. "No... I gave up on that long ago... I simply..." She trailed off, trying to figure out how to best phrase her thoughts. "...Loneliness... I felt that pain..."

I looked at her, "And he should too?"

She stared at the railing supporting her weight. Though it was silence, it was more of a confirmation than any set of words could have given.

And then I continued on towards our destination, leaping off the overlook into the base of the waterfalls underneath Canterlot.

Oblivion stood still, "... emotion?" She shook her head before jumping after the boy, "... maybe the souls aren't as perfectly 'split' as I had thought."

**-$IK...38dxW#*#F-**

Light was coughing up blood, his vision was clouding, the door to leave was firmly shut. The more effort he exerted, the more his body began to strain itself, but every ounce of energy was used to brute-force the seals that kept him from leaving.

But he was losing. He didn't need the subtle chisels that Oblivion had took at the seal during all of those years. Light didn't need stealth, he needed immense power.

Power he was losing. His seal he had broken that had stored all of his power had begun to take its toll.

And even if he were at perfect health, he would have still been severely hurt from the energy he was using.

As he kept putting all of his energy to try to escape, he found it more and more difficult to continue, and as he looked beyond the horizon, he saw a dust storm quickly approaching.

Hacking up more blood, he ignored the noise of the sandstorm, which slowly became louder and louder, and as he stood there, devoting all of his energy towards destroying the shield keeping hims from escaping, the dust swept over his body, obscuring the desolate landscape from view.

And at the same moment the sand hit him, the seal keeping him from escaping the world shattered, but the being who had set fourth all of the events that had guided Leon had not even the energy to transport him out of the world, a taks a god found as easy as walking through an open doorway.

...As the sandstorm raged on, one would never have seen the body of the god fall over unconsious.

**-Ponyville-**

Everyone had prepared to move from the crowded town. It had seen enough of all that had happened. While the gods had nothing to pack, Twilight obsessed over books to take and her friends (who insisted on joining us) also packed some things. They weren't exactly sure where they were off to, but they know that they wouldn't be returning to Ponyville until after the entire ordeal was over.

For I had an idea on where to prepare, where to develop a strategy, where to hide, and where to find our enemy.

What better place to prepare for war than the world Light had left open for us? I had just been there, and for some reason, I felt that I could be there once more, and with all of Twilight's friends.

And as we all gathered in front of the Ponyville library, I turned to Twilight and smiled. "You think you can do it?" She simply nodded her head, and a white circle all who had gathered, whisking us away to a world simply known as...

**-Light's Domain-**

We arrived, and it was significantly different from when I had visited a few days ago. More couches, the fireplace was brighter, the tiled floor seemed to go on for eternity, the window was larger, there were multiple tables, and there were now living quarters, and several doors, though they were not surrounded by walls.

But there was still only one chess board and one throne.

And the chess board made no sense to me, just like it had been when I found that scroll.

"So where are we anyways?" Some god said to me and Twilight, taking the words out of everypony's mouths.

"Light used to reside here before all of this happened." Twilight said plainly. Surprised the gother gods looked at each other, all except for Ace and Aria.

"...how many secrets did this guy have?" two gods mumbled to each other. I, in response turned my head sideways, wondering what they were going on about.

Ace smiled and placed a hoof on my shoulder, "Gods usually don't have a place like this. Usually, they stay and live among the world, faking their deaths and taking different forms as they live among the others. Occasionally, they disappear and spend time in The Halls of Eternity, as it was a place for Gods to spend time away from their jobs as guardians of their respective worlds. In fact, many spent a majority of their times their, as the chief property of the Halls of Eternity that made it ideal for being a place where gods meet, other than the fact that it served as a means of transportation between worlds, was that it was independent from time, so one could return to the exact moment of time they had left.

But Light had this special room to look over Equestria, most likely due to the fact that he had the ability to create such a realm.

As we spoke of this, a small set of engravings appeared on the ground below us. _"This is my realm, which I discovered around the same moment I gave birth to the world of Equestria. A mere stroke of chance, really, that I found this land. Unlike the Spires of Reality, which encompasses all worlds, this one resides inside of all worlds, simultaneously being in many places at once, though not truly being in any one world at any given time. This land is one only those I permit can even see. Not even Oblivion, with all of her immense power, can enter this world. Much like me with her realm, the aforementioned Spires of Reality."_

We and as the words appeared, a shimmer of light shone across it, somehow uncovering more words as the streak crossed the golden letters.

"_May this realm forever be named Profectio*. To the one who sees these words, use what you see around you wisely, for you are the new keeper of this land."_

And under it were carved black letters, with text that seemed to had been scratched into the ground.

"_Why do beings mourn death? Things must always return to Oblivion's grasp, just as I took them away from it. Without Birth, there can be no destruction. Without destruction, there cannot be birth. This is the goal of the Figures. But destruction need not come in the way of war, death, and anger. Destruction can manifest in many ways. Death is certainly one, but moving away, is that not a form of destruction? Leaving your home, your comforts? Is taking risks another form of destruction, who results in the birth of rewards and a larger zone of comfort? Is even the modest aft of eating a form of destruction, as the disappearance of food provides the birth of energy for creatures to live? Indeed, the world needs both. Birth cannot exist without Oblivion. Oblivion cannot exist without the Origination. And yet, as you read this, my power is waning. Do with this information as you will, for if you have been entrusted with this message, I have faith in your success, with or without me."_

Since I had lost my memory, I had met Light for only a few seconds. Still, I had felt as if I knew him for years. Though maybe I had... the thoughts came in bouts and maybe they were only momentary flashes of memory, but I could occasionally remember things from time to time. It had occurred when I met my other self.

Still, I looked down at these words, then walked over to a small knife I had packed in my bag. I returned to the small set of words, to which nopony else seemed to react to, most likely due to it being invisible to their eyes, and I began to carve into the floor. Everypony looked at me, but I didn't mind.

This was my message to Light.

This was my message to myself.

_We shall carry on, knowing your trust is in us. -The Guardians of Equestria._

* * *

><p>*Profectio is latin for the word "primordium", which is science-speech for the first stage of the development of an organ. As this realm exists inside of others, and it is the residence of "The Origination", I felt this term would be the best name for the world.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>So I've been multitasking a lot recently.<span>**

**I have a new fanfic, it's going to be a large-ish oneshot****, I've decided.**** So yeah, I have been writing that, and probably will be after this story is over. I'll make sure to keep updates on that later, but right now let's talk about ME.**

**I have the ACT tomorrow, a major test that can determine which college you go to and what scholarships you get etc. if you don't know/aren't in the US, so I've been getting ready for that. Furthermore, I had exams last week, which completely caught me off-guard.**

**So yeah, writing isn't exactly easy with the conditions I have, and I've been writing that oneshot as well, so it is going to take me a while.**** I plan on not shooting that out like I do with these chapters, and instead get it to a crazy-high quality. Who knows? Maybe someone will actually read it****. That would be nice. Maybe I should shoot for the moon, and see if I can convince some guy to put it up on EQD (Not that I really have a chance at that). You know, a guy can dream, right?**

**Remember to Review people. Read on fellow Bronies!**


	28. Chapter 28: Equestria

**-Canterlot Hospital-**

Spitfire opened her eyes and the first thing she noticed was Princess Luna, but that wasn't what was peculiar.

She was facing the bed next to her. On it she was a black body, covered in blood. She jumped as she realized who it was, but the pain covering her body kept her from moving. When she did, the pain forced a small groan of pain out of her mouth, Luna spun around instinctively, as if she were on-edge.

"Spitfire! Are you... okay?" Princess Luna said, adjusting her crown with her right hoof, as it had become askew from her sudden movement.

"...yeah... I think so..." Spitfire said, "Is this..." She stared at the black mass, it was bleeding all over as Luna turned back to face it.

"... Light was like this when he arrived in the Castle..." Luna said, obviously preoccupied with treating Light's wounds, which glowed lightly from magic. "Nopony is sure how either of you eded up the way you did. Speaking of which, I'm glad some patrolling guards spotted you. What happened?"

Spitfire's mind burned as she recalled the brief confrontation with Leon and a mysterious robed figure to Luna.

Luna shook her head. "It must have been the same Leon who attacked Sister..."

Luna looked down, "For some reason, the Doctor's couldn't operate on Light, you know? It's a bit odd, really..." She trailed off, focusing on some of the wounds for a few moments before continuing. "He apparently appeared in a pond in the garden maze... Luckily, somepony... a greenskeeper, spotted some red in the pond and rushed for help. If he hadn't plowed straight through the hedges, he might not have been in time... Then, when the doctor's appreaded, some magical barrier seemed to stop them from operating on him. I think it might have been because of the scissors and such. Maybe some spell is preventing him from getting hurt... So... I've had to use my magic to heal him this entire time."

The princess of the night sighed, "I wish sister or Twilight were here. They're both better at magic than I am..."

Spitfire smiled lightly. "He'll be fine. Don't you worry."

**-Profectio, Nyx's Location-**

Everypony was busy. Twilight read about legends and ancient weapons that could help against Oblivion. Her friends went about arranging books. A few of the Gods were sparring, and I was sitting in front of the chess set, attempting to figure out a message that is seemed to be trying to tell me. At times, I would have momentary bouts of ideas as to what it was saying, but then they would fade away, and no matter how hard I tried to recall what I had just thought, it stayed illusive.

I sat back and thought about Trixie and Spike, who had stayed in Ponyville to both clean up the mess in front of the library and to assure everypony that things were fine, even if that was a lie. Twilight thought panic would be a bad thing to have, and indeed, it wouldn't be a good idea whatsoever.

Occasionally, I looked into the window and searched out a pony, named Peddle, who had returned to his old life. I smiled as he traded bits for goods and goods for bits. He was a merchant of sorts, and a clever one at that. However, I noticed that among all of those goods, in a corner of the store, was a picture he occasionally glanced at. It was an image of Twilight in the most beautiful dress imaginable. It was probably the one Rarity had designed for her coronation, but as I looked to Peddle, I could feel a hint of jealousy by the way he looked at the photo. I looked back down at the chessboard once more, if only to distract myself from the window. Luckily, the window had been forgiving to me, and as a young child does in a room full of toys, it had already moved on to something else, losing interest in and forgetting what it had been showing only moments before.

"Ya need help with anything?" Rainbow Dash called over to me. I shook my head no, but got up from my seat anyways.

"I give up on this for now. Anyways. Thanks for the offer, though." I walked over to a door and opened it. It separated itself from its frame, opening the way to what looked to be a restroom. I walked in, and as I went to close the door, a heard a high-pitched voice call out from behind me.

"Hey, I wanted to go next!"

I sighed and turned around, letting Pinkie Pie fly into the restroom as I walked out. I had only wanted to splash my face in cold water anyways, to wake me up from the tired state I was in. I shook my head and walked over to another door, which led to the kitchen. As I opened it, I coughed heavily as smoke came out.

"A-Aria, aren't you supposed to be cooking dinner?" I said, covering my mouth with one of my hooves.

Inside, she spun around, her hair standing on end and her face covered in soot as if she had just caused a small explosion. "...I was making punch..."

I took several steps back, "...why don't you go spar. I'll make dinner. Sound good?" She shook her head yes, relieved to not have to make a meal, and walked past me. I called out to her, "By the way, Pinkie Pie's using the bathroom right now, but I suggest you get cleaned up as soon as she's out."

Aria simply called out an "Okaaaay." before shutting the door, trapping me in the room with o ventilation.

So I turned on several fans, opened the door, and walked to Twilight, who, if I knew her, would have a recipe book.

I couldn't remember any dishes after all. I forgot them when I got amnesia.

The princess was closing another book when I approached her. "Hey, Twilight. I was wondering if you have a recipe book. Aria can't cook, so I kinda kicked her out of the kitchen and-" She had already gotten up when she walked over to me.

"Oh, one second," She said, standing up and rummaging though a small pile of books, " Hey, I have an idea!" She grabbed the recipe book as she spun around to face me enthusiastically. "How about I help you cook instead? I mean, I just finished this book, and it really is time for me to take a break so..."

I smiled and reached for the levitating book with my mouth, "Why not?"

**-Leon's Grave, Leon's Location-**

The marble slab had been reduced to an indiscernible pile of rubble, appearing more like the walls of dilapidated structure that had fallen out of repair for years than a grave marker for a once-again living being. However, this was only one of the changes. The ground was covered in dead grass, and the trees surrounding the area had lost all but their most resilient leaves; the once-crystalline water, however, had become too murky to reflect those sorrows. The chess board had toppled over, its pieces scattered among the fallen leaves, dead grass, and rubble. The air had a heavy feel, the scent of death lingering in the air. Wildlife seemed nonexistent as the ominous silence consumed the depressing gray atmosphere. And finally, the book, Another Day, had traces of ash and charring throughout its pages, its had light faded and it was lying on the ground open-faced as if a child had thrown it carelessly while reaching for a toy.

Oblivion walked over to the book and picked up the now fragile text. Holding it next to the book she had taken from Spitfire book, she said, "How long has it been, now?"

The air was still, and below her, the ground spoke. "...Too long to count..."

"...Equestria. You know what happens next?" Oblivion was silent as she stared at the books in front of her. She opened a page in Another Day. The page, though charred, was still legible. It was mostly blank, but crossing it, as though burned onto the page, was the word, "Checkmate".

She dropped the book on the ground disinterested and opened The King. The page she opened to in this older book was one of Leon and Twilight, fighting the human at the battle of Canterlot.

"Why did you do this, Oblivion? All of these times..." The Earth below her spoke.

Oblivion was silent before dropping the second book.

Behind her, I spoke for the first time. "Jealousy." She turned her head to where I was standing. " That is what motivates you, is it not? I may not feel much, but I have enough memories to see those telltale signs."

She closed her eyes before looking at the murky lake. Obviously her feelings had never been put so simply, never contained within a single word. She had always felt it more complicated than that.

"...What of, Oblivion? You have infinite power, your strength matched by no other. What could you be jealous of? You who chose to isolate yourself from the other gods and worlds?" Equestria spoke in the slow, deep voice it possessed.

She stood still, taking deep breaths, clenching her fist, and closing her eyes, remembering a time before Figures and before her anger.

**-Land Before Gods-**

Back when she and Light ruled the Cosmos together. Before Light was named... Light. When he was simply The Origination. Things had always been constant. Her life was simple, and the planets needed constant watch, but within one, a planet the Origination had touched with a figment of power, gave birth to small creatures. As they evolved and grew, as they began to spread, The Origination smiled, laughing at the one force that seemed to not respond to the direct control that all other things had done. While Oblivion had been preoccupied, he let them spread, taking their own forms and shapes, evolving into creatures so different The Origination couldn't believe it.

And that planet which had sparked life, he began to visit it.

Of course, all of this bothered the Supreme being of Destruction. She hated it. No longer was it just her and The Origination.

It was Her and The Origination and Life.

And as they spread, it became more and more difficult to keep track of the many beings, so The Origination and Oblivion, together, imbued the beings within the first planet with the powers of immortality, the power to travel from world to world. The power to guide the other lands into either peace or destruction.

And one, a female god, seemed to catch the eye of the Being of Birth. The Origination had fallen in love with this new god.

It was Oblivion and The Origination.

And Life.

And Equestria.

Of course, he visited this god often, exchanging stories, and as they spent more and more time together, Oblivion became upset.

She loved her co-ruler.

It was all of her dreams, so close to her grasp. And Equestria, this god, took it all away. But that was the end. She loved The Origination, she would let him be happy. It was the right thing to do.

But one day, tragedy struck and a rebellion occurred among some of the gods. It, of course, was doomed, but as they came to attack The Origination, he felt sorrow, that he had to end the lives of those he gave birth to. Oblivion had also helped, effortlessly and emotionlessly slaying the aggressors.

Those gods had been filled with jealousy, and, wanting more power, they tried to seek out their maker, and make him relent. Origination reached out, deciding to strike

And amidst the chaos and havoc, a single tear fell from a girl. She had come to stop the havoc, the stop the madness.

And amidst the chaos and Havoc, she was struck down by Light, and while a total accident, Light screamed out in horror, falling to his knees as the attacks from the rebelling gods seemed to reflect off of the body of the god.

She had died.

By his hands.

The rebellion had finally ended, crushed by Oblivion, The Origination, along with the body of Equestria, disappeared.

Later, she would find out he had tied what little life Equestria had onto the world she had guarded. It was a land of emptiness, but it would only be for a while.

And the Origination dubbed the world Equestria. While no longer a god, she could continue to survive as the guardian of the world she had protected.

The Origination sealed away his powers after creating the Figures. Changing his name to Light, he sealed the world from Oblivion in a desperate attempt to forget who he really was.

One who failed to control his power, and who killed his love.

And eternities later, he would once again see that play out, a role played by Twilight Sparkle and Leon.

Oblivion, however, simply isolated herself, agreeing with Light's request. To let the Figures run the worlds they had not given form to.

Oblivion, of course, did occasionally interfere, but she always tried to resist the temptation. It was a request from Light. She tried to not let him down.

But eternities alone...

so alone...

She wanted things to return to normal. The figures were gone. Their replacements were missing. Why couldn't _he_ return to his past life?

She pinned the blame on a single world. No, on a single God. A single being.

Equestria.

She would get Light back. She would get The Origination back.

It was her duty to the other worlds. And to herself. Her heart.

**-Canterlot Hospital, Present Time-**

He coughed up blood.

Light was alive, but anything but well. His stomach felt as if it had begun digesting itself, his arms and legs refused to obey him, and he felt thousands of stinging needles all over his body.

"Light!" Luna smiled as his eyes opened. He was silent, making no effort to talk.

Luna shook her head and returned to treating wounds.

By this time, Spitfire had already begun to walk around the room. She recovered quickly, something that had always been useful when she had first started training in the Wonderbolts, and even one occasion when she made a mistake during her time in the Starlights. She moved over to the bed when Luna exclaimed Light's name.

"...You think he'll be okay?" Spitfire asked lightly, Luna shook her head.

"You worry about yourself." Luna said, more focused on the magic than anything else.

"... I'll... I'll be fine..." Light struggled to say, though he couldn't turn his head to look at Spitfire.

He closed his eyes, wondering if the seal would allow him to recover, or if it would kill him before he could. The effects, he noticed, seemed to come and go. He wasn't coughing blood like he had been when he was trying to escape from the prison that Oblivion had set up.

"...Light... is it possible... to let the doctor's help you?"

Light smiled. "Oh, is that small shield is acting up again..." A small glow appeared around him.

"...that should do it..." He closed his eyes and went back to sleep while Luna asked Spitfire to retrieve some of the doctors.

**-Profectio, Leon's Location-**

It smelled delicious. While Twilight had little skill in cooking, her knowledge in books were more than enough to help me make some food I had never thought possible. Before long, the aroma permeated the other areas, somehow seeping through the many doors that were in this world. As we sat down to eat in an area in the same door as the kitchen, all of us smiled and talked.

At the head of the table was an empty seat. Twilight walked next to it and sat down in the chair.

"Okay everyone, you know what we're up against. However, I need to know how we can imporve our odds. Sure, we can train and practice fighting all we want, but that isn't going to make a huge difference at this point..." She paused for a moment before continuing, "So... any suggestions?"

I looked around as everyone looked to Twilight.

A god piped up, "Well we already have the element of surprise. She'll be able to be attacked from anywhere once we leave this place."

Another smiled, "And Ace has some information, if not a ton. Right?"

We turned to face him, his thoughts elsewhere. "Uh, oh... Yeah..."

I got up from the table before walking towards the door. Behind me, Applejack called out, "Everythin' all right, sugarcube?" I paused for a moment, turned to her, and smiled. "Yeah."

I walked out of the door and went over to the chess set.

Its actions were so enigmatic. How come I couldn't see the message that seemed hidden within the pieces.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry guys, I have almost no time on my hands. I'm trying my hand at making music as well, though I only had enough to make a small thing. It's all a pain to me, homework, speeches, etc. I really have not time, I haven't even gotten a chance to proofread this, but since I haven't released a chapter in 2 weeks, I feel like I have no choice. If you notice, it IS fairly short in comparison as well...<strong>

**Here is an example of one of my songs that I'm working on, if you're wondering.  
><strong>

http:/soundcloud . com/eyeclops/eqa-everfree-forest-v2-wip


	29. Chapter 29: Useless

**-Leon's Grave, Leon's Location-**

Oblivion stood over the table, she had reset the pieces and had begun watching the pieces move. She shook her head. "I never did bother to figure out how to play this game. Light always was the one who rolled the dice when it came to fate."

She blinked, and without thinking exhaled in exhaustion. She had a finished talking with the planet, and had combed through the rubble of the ruins.

"One of the first things Light said to you..."

She looked at the sad environment around her before freezing in place as I approached her. Placing a hoof on her back, I closed my eyes.

"I am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." It rang out from the Earth with booming volume that even rustled the trees.

Oblivion stood there. The voice was of Light, when he had first met me. Suddenly, a brief flash of pain shot through me as I clutched my forehead with my hoof.

Oblivion looked over at me, but not for long, as that was not the end of the voices.

"_I_ am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." This time, it was Twilight's voice.

"_I_ am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." Ace's.

"_I_ am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." Aria's

"_I_ am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." Many stranger's voices.

"_I_ am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land..." My voice.

"_We_ are the next Guardians of Equestria..." All of the voices called out in unison.

"Then to you, to the next guardians of Equestria... I wish you good luck." Light's voice spoke.

Oblivion looked at the ground. In silence, Equestria watched her message play for the world to hear.

All I could do was smile before looking at the moving chess pieces on the table. As I did, a sudden moment of dizziness washed through my mind, and I fell over on the ground, lightheaded.

**-Canterlot Castle-**

The voices rang out through the entire town. It, in fact, was so loud and clear that the entire town, for a brief moment, froze.

Celestia awoke with a start, feeling the pain coursing through her body as she jumped with her injuries the way there were. Her sister burst into the room.

"Sister! Did you hear that?" Princess Luna walked in. She had just left the side of Light when she did that.

Celestia smiled, "What, sister?"

Luna looked worried, unsure of what to do. Had she hallucinated it, "I... uuh..."

Celestia giggled, "Don't worry, I'm just teasing."

Luna seemed to be in a panic, "This isn't time for that! What if we're going to be attacked or-"

Celestia sat calmly as her sister ranted on and on, "Does it seem like a warning?"

Luna paused.

Celestia smiled. "I love you a lot, sister, but even if it was something, what good could we do?"

She smiled as she remembered how helpless they were at the battle of Canterlot two years ago. How quickly that Celestia herself had been injured in an attack a few days before.

She smiled as the nurse came in, shaking slightly from the voice that had shaken the buildings of Canterlot. "A-are you alright p-princess?"

The addressed winged-unicorn nodded lightly, reassuring her safety.

**-Canterlot Market-**

Peddle's money was on the ground, and he was rushing to pick it up. He had jumped when the voices had boomed through the air, and dropped his money pouch in the process. "Oh dear..." Before he knew it, another pony came up and grabbed a few of the coins.

"Hey! What are y-"

"Hey Peddle, what's up?" The voice of one of his idols interrupted his speech, and the two yellow hooves that had picked up his money reached over and placed it in his pouch.

"Oh! Spitfire! H-how... how are you?" He picked up the rest of his coins.

"Confused, I guess. I've been busy, but otherwise-"

"!" Someone screamed through the mostly-silent crowd. Everyone had been looking towards the sky, in the direction of the voice that had boomed.

Through the crowd were several wonderbolts, and of course, Soarin had made a ruckus. "Spitfire, what was that just now?"

Spitfire smiled, "No clue, but whatever it was, I'm headed to Ponyville to rendezvous with Rainbow Dash." She laughed a little, "And to see if Princess Twilight will know something about all of this."

She laughed and patted Peddle on the back. "Don't get in trouble, kid." She took off, leaving the young merchant with the other Wonderbolts.

"See ya, Spitf- oof!" Peddle was bumped by Soarin.

"So you're the famous Peddle? Hear you hung out with the Princess during our last performance." He smiled, "Princess Twilight, Spitifre? Ya got friends in high places, man!" He laughed.

"I.. don't really think that..." His voice trailed off.

"Aww, c'mon man, lighten up! We were just headed over to this bakery. Pony Joe said he just made a fresh batch of apple pies!" He chimed in, and Peddle became unnerved as Soarin started to drool.

"Soarin, you're starting to scare him." Rapidfire said, snapping the new Wonderbolts' leader out from his trance.

"Y-yeah... Anyways, you wanna come?" He said, smiling.

"I have to work and-"

Soarin grabbed his hoof and dragged him towards the bakery. "Well you're taking the day off! I'm sure your boss will understand!"

"N-no, I work for myself and have a meeting with- Wait! Someone, help me!" As the crowd was still confused over the voice the colt, Peddle, was heard screaming loud and clear as Soarin dragged the pony towards Pony Joe's place and the rest of the Wonderbolts trailed behind, acting as if nothing were happening.

And the same reason the street was so silent was the same reason nopony bothered to hear him.

**-Canterlot Hospital-**

Light awakened with a slight groan. He was alone. The doctors and nurses were all out, and the IV that administered out a mysterious medication had begun to annoy him. Pulling it out, he coughed up blood on the blanket he was laying in. "It's no use…"

He got up from the bed, thinking thoughts about what was going to happen. He laughed, to himself since he was alone, and shook his head.

"Its about time I left for Ponyville. I won't need any more time here. I'm not…" He paused, coming to terms with the reality he would have to face. "I'm not going to get any better from here on out…"

He shook his head from a slight pain before opening the window – with his hooves instead of magic – and took off to the sky, flying much like an injured songbird.

He would go to Ponyville. He was dying.

He knew this.

This was for his love. And By love, it was not just Equestria.

For everything he had given birth to.

Death, for mortals, has always been something that was inevitable.

But Death ventures much farther than just the realm of the Mortals. Even the most powerful God fears it, for nothing is safe from those jaws.

And for immortals, what's scary is that they aren't sure it's going to happen.

And it gets even scarier when they find they have to come to terms with the fact it will.

Death was coming to Light's Doorstep.

Light would finish his life laughing in death's face.

For death - who could fear death if their legacy could continue on for eternity? A legacy no Oblivion could consume.

This would be Light's last chess match. His Swan Song.

**-Profectio, Nyx's Location-**

The chess board's riddle eluded me. An hour and the questions I had remained.

What was it trying to say? What drove its internal mechanisms? How could I change what was happening?

Shaking my head, I got back up before bumping into a girl walking out of the room and knocking her down.

"Oh... um... Sorry..." Fluttershy said, backing up.

"It's not a problem, Fluttershy." I smiled. I held out my hoof to help her get up. "Is there anything wrong?"

She, like me, had been thinking about something else. It seemed apparent when we bumped into each other. "umm... well... I'm not sure exactly how I can help... you know..."

I smiled. "I really think that you guys being here, for Twilight at least, is enough. Don't trouble yourself too much." I smiled and glanced back at the chess board.

However, I didn't look away.

For a brief moment, I understood something.

A message the chess board declared.

_This chess match is yours alone, Leon. Play the pieces as you see fit._

And slowly, a book formed next to the chess set, stunning the yellow pegasus next to me.

"Oh my!" She said in her quiet voice, "What is this?"

I recognized the book before it had even fully taken form.

Another Day sat open-faced as a picture of everyone in Profectio standing around a large white chess piece.

It was a king, and it wore a crown made of the greenest wildlife. A beam of light seemed to glow around it, and where the light fell were butterflies and grass, though were the light did not fall had trees and such.

I noted, in the background, was a crumbling gravestone and a crystalline lake.

_Thank you for protecting me._

I set down the book and smiled, and as I turned to face Fluttershy, who was still standing there, I suddenly felt tired, and passed out before even hitting the floor.

**-Between Ponyville and Canterlot, Leon's Location-**

I awoke with a splitting headache.

"...your soul tried to return to your other body, I see." Oblivion said she kept walking as I hovered behind her. I had been encased in some odd field of energy.

The ground below me seemed to recoil as I vomited, the dizzying experience left me feeling both nauseated and weak. "The hell was that?"

Oblivion exhaled, "You died, but your body didn't know it. It's all confused now."

I turned to her, partially out of disgust. "You know, you could tell me these things, or you could-" I coughed and vomited more.

Oblivion shook her head. "I don't think that this has happened before. If I hadn't inspected your body after passing out, I wouldn't have noticed it. However…"

I turned my head to her from the ground. "…what?"

She looked at me. "… never mind. It would be useless to tell you anyways"

We began to walk towards our destination. Why she wanted to go there? I wasn't sure. My true question was this – Why did she choose to walk instead of whisk herself to the location of her target?

**-Profectio-**

I awoke an wandered around for an hour or so before we all gathered in the main room again. Twilight had been going over some things she had discovered in some old texts about different problems in ancient Equestria and how those problems had been solved without the use of weapons such as the Elements of Harmony.

It was, to be brutally honest, useless information. We all knew it, but we gathered here anyways in the faint hope that some miracle would show itself.

Finally, Rainbow Dash voiced a question that took Twilight off-guard, "So why do we need to plan this? If you guys die, don't you just come back, like Leon did?"

A god, an old looking geezer as he appeared, spoke before Twilight's shocked expression had fully formed.

"Death, in itself, is a complicated thing. Still, there are rules which govern them, and some take precedence over others," The god dragged out the "th" sounds in a way it made him sound both annoying and frail, "Beings exist in a body, but are separate from it. Think of it as a shell in which the soul resides. This soul, normally, cannot be harmed while in this state." He paused to let the unusual description sink in. "So, this means that when Leon died before, his soul left his body, and went to a different place. Normally, this place would be though a place called 'The Halls of Eternity', this place is a form of "in between" for worlds where souls gather. They form the halls themselves. Soon, these souls are transported to their next life with a new body generated from the fabric of that world's existence. However, Leon is a slightly different case. He was tampered with from the beginning, his soul always not quite in his body. He'd been pushed about by gods and his future had never been written. Instead of being sent to the Halls, Light pulled him to his own Domain, here. This is where his second confrontation – with the Figure of War – happened. Not even a figure could kill Leon while he was in his body; that is how absolute his defenses were. Gods also adopt a defense similar to this, with the primary difference being they are not quite as strong, but are able to be slipped in and out of without experiencing what you call "death". Only figures have ever materialized as a pure spirit within a mortal realm, which is how come the Figure of war had such immense power in the human realm. However, he was also able to be killed, for he was not protected by this shell that gods and mortals have. This, plus he stretched himself thin being in two places at once, lead to his death." He shook his head. "The problem lies with this 'Oblivion'. We fear these rules will not apply to her. If she kills one of us… we may very well die in the true sense of the word… and stop existing. Something," The god paused as he turned to me, "Something that Leon here probably should have done."

I shook my head, I barely heard the chatter. "Uh, yeah… whatever…" The chess set had engulfed all of my attention. The pieces, oddly enough, had begun moving in a way I could guess their next move. It was odd, watching them perform the actions I laid out. There was no special rule, I would simply think a tile, and moments later the piece would move there.

"Leon has been a special case. After he died that final time, with his body not able to be retrieved by Light…" His shook his head, interrupting himself, "Now this is all speculation, but-" He paused again, deciding whether to say the information. "He disappeared for two years. He literally _stopped existing_ during this time. He actually did die, and when he returned, he became this small fragment of his soul, and from what we've seen, there are two of them. These two fragments may be how the spirit, through some odd circumstances, materialized once again. Whether it is because of the tampering with the Figures' powers when he died, intervention by Light, or the fact he was always incomplete, his spirit reassembled into the two Leons we see today." He paused as he let this information soak in. "I think… If these two Leons exist this way, something prevented the souls from returning to be one whole, and it sounds like – from what Aria and Ace have said – that the other Leon formed on Earth. Their souls are attuned to different existences. You," he pointed to me, "are the Leon of Equestria, and the other Leon is of Earth." He stopped again to see how I would react, and indeed, I looked up from the chess board. A piece finally moved in a way I hadn't anticipated.

"… I guess that makes sense… or as much as it's going to, but what does any of this have to do with anything?"

The old deity shook his head. "It is still speculation, but I'm almost positive what I believe is true. If one of you dies, then the two attunements will clash, causing what should have been your true death two years ago to the other, still living you."

I blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Simply stated, the surviving Leon and anything around him will simply cease to exist." He finished off.

Twilight looked over to me worriedly with a slight expression of fear, shock, and sadness on her face. Mine, unlike hers, was of stone. "…okay."

Everypony looked at me.

"Okay? Okay!" A female god spoke up, "What the hell is wrong with you!" She began to walk up. "You know what I've seen from you these past few days? A lazy piece of crap who has no recollection of the time he actually did _something_! Two years ago you may have killed some "Figure", but while the rest of us go about preparing for this attack - training, planning, studying and so on! – All I've seen is you either wandering around or staring at that damned chess set!" She smacked the set off of the table and kept her verbal onslaught up, "You have no memories of the past, you sit around not even bothering to pretend to train, and now you hear about how you could die, and even kill the ponies around you and all you can say is 'okay'? I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but I'll tell you this, I don't even know why the hell we even keep you around. You're a damned waste who simply leeches off of the rest of us! I don't even know why we bother with you!" She stood there breathing heavily after her screaming bout for a few moments.

I stood up, trying to appear as calm as possible, and walked away from the table and through a door to the sleeping areas. I didn't hear Twilight calling out my name. I didn't witness the silence after I weakly closed the door.

Was I truly useless?

… I…

I hadn't realized…

* * *

><p><strong><span>Well, 5 12 weeks to get out a chapter is more than ridiculous. I'm planning on ending this in 1-2 chapters because of how my life has gotten. I've found that the work I've recently gotten is inhuman lately. I would think that since it's near the end of the year I'd have more free time, but no. I'm more busy than ever.  
><strong>

**On the brighter side, I won some national k'nex thing for my school (never used them before), and have decided to try to make a short story that will take almost all of my free time once summer begins. I also just found out today some musical/play (kinda serious to be a musical imo, but there is singing) I auditioned for (Never did anything like this before) is giving me a small part. Sadly, that small part has ~4 solos in the play. **

**But I digress. I'll keep working on this story, but I'll give a small teaser of the other short story I'm working on if I find that the next chapter is taking too long. Sound fair?  
><strong>

**Read on fellow Bronies! - Eyeclops  
><strong>


	30. Chapter 30: Meetings

**-Profectio, Nyx's Location-**

"What do you mean you're going after the Elements of Harmony?"

The yell echoed throughout the area. It was Ace's voice.

I hadn't witnessed what had happened; I was still locked inside the sleeping quarters. The yell snapped me out of the trance I had been in for the past day or so.

_Useless._ All of this time, since I had lost my memory, I had simply followed where ponies took me. I never had to find my own way. If a pony asked me to do it, I simply followed directions. They pointed the way for me.

… but I never really did anything for them. All I did was follow directions. Trixie, Twilight, it was all the same. I had other people think for me. I had set up this guise of confidence, and I almost came to believe in it…

"Look, you can't use those! Remember? Mortals can't harm gods, Gods couldn't harm, the figures. How do you expect some random mortals to harm Oblivion!" Ace, once again, had his voice pierce the silence.

"You forget, don't you! This was _Light's_ weapon. Stop placing your faith in _him_! He's useless, you know!" The disembodied voice belonged to another god, the one who had yelled at me, "He'll end up screwing it up, just like how he stared at that damned chess set this entire time! What has it done? Nothing! Now get out of my way and let us leave!"

I slowly got myself up from the bed I had been crying in, and stumbling, as my limbs had fallen asleep on their own, walked to the door, which I silently opened. Outside, I saw the gods lined up, Ace and Princess Twilight standing between them and a lit doorway with an etched message on it.

"You know what! Why are we even doing this? Who cares if some person destroys this land?" The God cried out, shaking her head.

"B-because-" Twilight began to stutter, but just then, I decided to intervene.

A thought had crossed my mind.

"Do what you want. I don't care. If you need me, I'll be useless somewhere else." I walked past all of the stunned expressions towards the doorway.

"W-wait!" Twilight began to say, but I ignored her as I did all of the other ponies. Finally, inches from the door, a hoof reached out and blocked my path. I stopped, if only to give a message with my eyes to Aria.

_Let me go._

It came across as more of the plea than a command, but Aria still refused. She shook her head.

"It isn't time, and that's what we keep trying to tell everyone else. The Elements aren't going to change a thing, but I don't think they'll listen. They really think that Light's weapon was simply those? I don't."

"Well what do you suggest?" Another god spoke up, "If you don't hurry soon, Oblivion is going to take action. We don't even know what she's after."

And as I heard that statement, the chess set seemed to catch my attention. It was on the floor, but as I saw that, I also saw a page that was inside the book on the table.

Another Day sat on the table next to where the chess set had been, it was opened to a page, once again sending a message to those willing to read it.

_The King_. It was all that was on the page, and the page showed was beautiful human figure, dressed in the most beautiful white dress which seemed to radiate an aura of peacefulness. The girl, herself was of small stature, and her body was adorned with small wreaths and a crown of small, intricately curling vines. It was beautiful. She was in a forest clearing, and a ray of light pierced the leaves to shine upon her, as she seemed to bow down to place her hand in some still water near a pond. Above her, the clouds seemed to be as surreal as the rest of the page.

And as I looked at that, and as I looked at the chess pieces, something went through my mind. A mere thought.

I walked over to a pawn, and placed it back on the board. Then a knight. Then two bishops.

And the board, much like an Ursa Major awakening from its slumber, lumbered into action, and the board began to move as lively as could be.

**-The Road to Ponyville, Leon's Location-**

The sky glistened as a trillion sparkling orbs filled the otherwise pitch-black scenery. The clouds had disappeared, giving a perfect view of the moon that had once trapped Luna.

"Why are we walking?" I said to Oblivion. She looked at me, somewhat surprised, "There are a trillion different ways to move for us, and you've decided to walk."

Oblivion closed her eyes in thought before almost whispering the answer to me. "Everfree Forest. Things there work differently from the rest of the land. Doesn't it seem strange to you? The fact things there aren't quite the same?"

I stayed silent.

"Think of it as a 'core', so to speak. This 'core' controls and maintains balance in the world as stabilizing force for the world," Oblivion continued, "The closer you are to that core, the more things seem to deviate from the normal way of things, as the core takes more functions, or less, under its wing in the area nearest to it. There is a similar place in your world… the Bermuda triangle… I think it was."

"…So why are you after it?" I said merely.

"Equestria is there." And with that, the conversation was over.

**-Profectio, Leon's Location-**

And with that, I opened my eyes. "Everfree…" My thoughts were interrupted by a cough, as blood erupted from my throat. "…they're headed to Everfree Forest…"

My body was shaking and my head spun. I was breathing heavily and I found myself lying on the floor with everyone around me.

Or, well, half of the ponies around me. Aria, Ace, Twilight, and her friends were all that remained.

The gods had left.

Ace shook his head. "They'll be out of harm's way, I suppose. We'd better figure out some way of stopping those two. What exactly are they headed there for?"

"Equestria apparently has some 'core' or something there. I didn't really understand it, but-" I began to start, but it was abruptly cut off by Twilight.

"It doesn't matter. I don't think we have any time left." Her face had a shadow over it as she looked at the only window in Profectio. "Oblivion and… you, the other Leon, are almost to Ponyville."

We sat there silently.

In just a few short hours, someone would have to step in the way of Oblivion and the other me, or else there would be a problem.

A big problem.

And we didn't even know what would stop Oblivion, or if anything _could_, for that matter.

I stepped forward.

There was no choice. I had wasted everypony's time. Useless? Maybe. But that didn't change something else.

I was Nyx. I was Leon.

I looked to the ones left behind and smiled, "My time to shine, I guess." My voice still shuddered, as though it were trying to support a weight just slightly more heavy than it could handle.

"You're as unpredictable as always." Aria stepped forward.

I nodded seriously before walking through the doorway which shined with a light.

That vision had taken its toll on my body, it was evidenced by the blood I had coughed up. As I walked through the doorway, I stumbled, and before I knew it, I was being supported from the side.

It was Twilight. Beside me were her friends, Ace, and Aria.

"We'll do this together." That beautiful voice seemed to wash away the weakness I felt.

The edges of my lips curled up ever so slightly.

The light consumed us, as we left Profectio to encounter our foes.

**-Canterlot-**

The guards were in a panic. Celestia and Luna had both vanished from sight. When it had happened was obvious.

They had been in front of a crowd of ponies. Nurses, doctors, guards, and servants had all witnessed it.

The two royal princesses disappeared, as if they had been blown away by the wind.

However, the disappearances were not limited to the princesses. In the city, a certain pony by the name of Trixie vanished, alongside that of a pony named Peddle. Spitfire was missing, and nopony knew where she had gone either.

**-The Heart of Everfree-  
><strong>

Meanwhile, The Origination, Light, smiled.

He could no longer fight, it was true, and these ponies would be no use in what was to come, the end was near.

And no matter the outcome, he knew these four ponies deserved to witness it.

And so, these four ponies sat in a circle around another being, waiting for the final battle.

That being was Equestria.

And as they waited, a golden light formed in the clearing.

It was me, Twilight, Ace, and Aria.

Nopony said a word.

At the other end of the clearing stood Oblivion, and the other me.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is, indeed, short. I regret everything about it, but, as my life has become as busy as it has, I've found it more and more difficult to write.<strong>

**Fortunately, you'll be waiting less and less, for the end is near.  
><strong>

**I'll see everypony then. Read on, fellow bronies!  
><strong>


	31. Chapter 31: Game Over

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Nyx's perspective-**

As the other me neared, I began to pant. It was as if a heavy burden had just been placed on my shoulders, and even though I had been feeling drained, I had no idea what to do.

Light, sitting in the middle of the clearing, nonchalantly waved a wing, as the people sitting next to him, including Equestria herself, vanished. For some reason, however, he stayed behind.

"Where's all of the others?" Light said. He didn't seem upset or worried, he simply seemed to ask the question as though he were merely taking note of the difference in numbers.

Aria, behind me, shook her head. "They went to go get the Elements of Harmony."

Light laughed and pointed with his head towards Twilight and her friends, "Without them? They really had no idea what they're doing, do they?"

"It was naïve for you to come here," Oblivion cut in, "Origination, I can tell you aren't ready for any fight, and without any weapon, how do you expect to defeat me?"

I took charge, having been left a spectator for the entire time, though my strength seemed to slowly be leaving me, "I never said we expected to, Oblivion. Still, I didn't get here without everypony around me to help lead and guide me to where I am now. I might not have my memories, but I don't think sitting around and doing nothing is any better!" Advancing towards Oblivion, I slowly gasped for air, before finally falling to the ground.

Twilight rushed next to me in a panic, "Leon, are you okay?" She put her hooves on my shoulders as I slowly started to black out.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Leon's Perspective-**

A memory in my gut stirred. That girl next to the other me… her name eluded me.

But I could hear it.

Twilight Sparkle.

Her name was Twilight Sparkle.

It was my lack of emotions that prevented her name from being heard. When I had died, I had lost my emotions.

Her name was the thing that brought my emotions to surface.

Emotions…

Why did I have them, now of all times?

"A tug of war," It was the one I had made an enemy, the Origination, Light, "Your soul and his want to be together, and if one of you dies, then the soul becomes whole. Still, the question is this: What would stop the soul from attempting to flee a body _before_ the death even occurs?"

"So this some battle that has caused us to lose consciousness?" It was now beginning to be obvious, but I still asked with a hint of doubt.

"Do you have emotions, which belong to him?" He pointed to the other me, lying on the ground, then continued, "If so, you have your answer."

That winged-pegasus smiled as he began to walk towards Aria, Ace, and Twilight's friends. As soon as he reached them, he raised his wings, and as he did so, said, "I suppose we shouldn't be in the way, either."

With expressions which showed surprise that Light would do something so against the wills of Ace and Aria, he and the others vanished from the area, similar to the ponies that had been sitting next to him had.

"Remember this, Leon." His now-disembodied voice seemed to call out, "The elements of harmony were never my trump card. _You_ were. Both of you."

I shook my head, though it seemed nopony else heard the voice. The emotions that should have been called fourth weren't there anymore. Across the clearing, the other me began to stir. Twilight, who had been focused on him, got up and looked around.

"They're gone?" She said with slight worry.

With no reason as to why, I laughed at her, "Don't worry, you'll both be fine."

And with that, I dashed towards the pony laying next to her, summoning fourth weapons as I did.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Nyx's Perspective-**

Books and axes clashed above me. Flashing lights from the magic-imbued strikes had suddenly appeared above my head a Twilight reacted with superpony reflexes. Rolling from under the weapons, I charged towards my other self with all of the speed I could muster. With magical blasts and books dealing with all of the axes, I homed in on my other self, who noticed me as I charged. He didn't do anything, he simply smiled as I felt a massive force send me flying sideways.

"Can't forget about me, can you?" Oblivion looked down on me as I slid to a halt right by her feet. She summoned a beam of light in her hands and swung down. With almost no effort, the ground under her was completely destroyed. Not I, but the ground.

"Thanks," I said to Twilight, while keeping my eyes on our opponents. She had teleported me just moments before that beam of white light had struck me down.

I had entered a battlefield with beings of incomprehensible power. Here I was - an average pony with no special powers in the middle of a fight where the beings could destroy entire cities almost effortlessly.

Those moments spent talking with Twilight had been precious, as another wave of attacks approached us from Leon. Oblivion seemed to sit near the side, and only interfered when we seemed to get the edge.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Leon's Perspective-**

She had not been helping me. She seemed to just… toy with them.

What was I even fighting for, now?

I had lost my longing to return to earth. I didn't know why, I simply had.

Also, I would die if Nyx died.

So what was I fighting for?

…

And then a wave of pressure swept over my mind. Oblivion's voice filled every corner of my mind, "What are you fighting for? For me."

…

Right.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Nyx's Perspective-**

We were getting nowhere. Twilight and I couldn't get the upper edge.

"T-twilight," I began, stammering as I sidestepped another attack, this time causing tiny fragments of rock to strike the side of my body with some pain, "you gget Oblivion. She'll not let either of us get the upper hand if we keep focusing on Leon."

"Are you crazy! We can barely hold him back together, how do you expect to beat him on your own?" She seemed to lost focus on the fight momentarily as the magical collisions became dangerously close to us.

"Look, he can't kill me. If he does, we both die. If we keep fighting like this, we'll be too tired to even hold a candle to Oblivion!"

Behind us, a white figure appeared with a speed neither of us could even begin to understand, "There is a big assumption. As if you could hold a candle to me to begin with." Sweeping her arm, with no great speed of visible power, we were sent careening sideways, leaving a trail in the dirt. Twilight, who erected a magical barrier around us just in time, seemed to be panting from the effort protecting us from the blow and the collision with the ground took.

"Y- you're right." She said while regained her breath, "b-but make it q-quick. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up."

I nodded in understanding as I sprinted towards the other me.

I had lost once to him.

I wouldn't do it again.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Leon's Perspective-**

It was the other me.

There was no way he could defeat me.

He was the weakest on this battlefield.

It was obvious, I wouldn't lose.

I chose to do this. … right?

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Nyx's Perspective-**

Pain. Each near-miss attack left a skin-deep wound on my coat. Tumbling around and leaping through the axes, I realized they moved too fast to keep up with.

I was surviving primarily on luck.

I was 1 body-length away from the other me when my brain seemed to lose control of my body. Everything moved on it's own, and adrenaline flowed through my body.

A duck, a sidestep, a flip. I landed on all fours, and with reactions faster than anypony I had witnessed, I quickly grabbed one of the battleaxes, by the handle, in my mouth.

A moment later, the strike came, as I swung my neck towards my other self, carrying the possessed battleaxe. Unable to react, the other me simply stood there. It had seemed impossible to him. He was supposed to embody logic. I was weak. He was strong. How had I so easily evaded the attacks?

The axe was on top of him, he couldn't move, but it was sheer luck I abandoned my attack. I had spotted something even more important that my own enemy.

Oblivion was standing over Twilight, a sword conjured from nothing laid in her hand. The area around the spot they had fought completely decimated from the attacks they had exchanged.

She raised her arm in the air, preparing for the swing. Abandoning any idea of self-preservation, I sprinted towards Twilight Sparkle.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location, Leon's Perspective-**

He was running towards that unicorn, and I let him go. I didn't attack, I didn't interfere.

He would self-destruct trying to stop that attack. It would work in my favor if he died, anyways. He was my opponent.

Now what was I trying to kill him for, again? It wasn't to get back to Earth.

Then that dizzy feeling happened. What was it that Oblivion said it was, my soul beginning to…

In my blurry vision, I saw Oblivion begin to swing down her sword. She was aiming for Twilight.

Blood splattered everywhere.

The black body of a unicorn fell over on the ground next to Twilight Sparkle, limp and lifeless. Nyx had sprinted between the sword and the princess. The momentum he had from running ripped the sword from Oblivion's hand, but not before it had killed him. He had run, leaped, intercepted the blow, then landed. In that flash of time, his life vanished, but his soul didn't.

The surge of information that coursed through my mind was massive. What he, or I, had experienced, the past I had spent with Twilight Sparkle, and the emotions that seemed to begin to flow through me.

I felt sadness for that pony's death. My death.

I felt fear for what would happen to me.

I felt like a heavy burden had been lift off of my shoulders, as if some control that had been exerted over me had collapsed.

In my mind, a chess set appeared. The one that the other me had spent so long staring at trying to understand. I recognized their movements.

I could see what the board wanted me to see.

Twilight was still laying on the ground, in shock as to what had happened, underneath an unflinching woman in white. She had walked over to the limp, lifeless body that was laying on the ground, and she kicked it with no real power behind it. The still warm body recoiled from the kick ever so slightly, then waved back and fourth, as though it were made of some child's gelatin. Leaning over, she drew the sword that had embedded itself into my back and turned to face Twilight.

The board showed a crowned piece sacrificing itself, and as it did, it opened up a line of attack for other pieces. The pieces had lined up perfectly, and with that sacrifice, it had become checkmate.

Checkmate.

Game over.

For Me.

For Oblivion.  
>For everypony.<p>

Materializing a small dagger in my hand, I called out to her.

"Your name is Nyx right?" I called over to her, then, as though venom were dripping from my voice, I continued, "Well, _you shouldn't be using my name like that_." I let the dagger pierce my chest.

Then, my hoof reached out and touched her ankle.

I was back in Nyx's body.

**-Heart of Everfree, Leon and Nyx's Location-**

"Oblivion, I believe you know what this is…" Pain wracked my body from the wound that should have been lethal. I couldn't move, and it was all I could do to move my arm and talk.

Her face, which had spent an eternity without fear of an end, changed. It was a look so foreign on her face. The delicate features that any human on Earth would have killed for, an expression of pure fear consumed her entire face.

"Checkmate."

It was just like how that other human, in that fight two years ago, had tried to end my life.

A kamikaze.

Whether it was some prototype Light had built that had failed the test of power, or what it was, it had the same purpose as me.

As the white light began to consume us Oblivion's face relaxed. "I suppose it is best this way…"

It confused me, as to why she would say that, and the horror that was on her face seemed to be replaced with a look of resignation, that she had accepted this fate.

And then, nothing. Everything was gone. Oblivion. My soul. My body.

**-Heart of Everfree-**

"The chess game has a type of opening called a 'Gambit'. It is designed with the idea that you sacrifice material for the sake of gaining a better position early on in the game. There are many types. The King's Gambit, the Queen's Gambit, and so on and so fourth. This is the same thing, but in the endgame. A sacrifice to end the game," An alicorn walked forward, the battlefield more scarred than what anypony could remember being done. It had not been that long of a fight, it was only a few minutes long, but things nopony could understand had occurred.

Suicides? Explosions? Ponies returning from the dead?

"I suppose she had wanted to lose this. She just wanted everything to end. Why else would she have walked instead of teleported to Ponyville? She loved me, you know. That's why she wanted to kill you in the first place." Origination paced back and fourth, piecing the story together as he spoke. Next to him, a beautiful goddess watched his every move.

"Equestria, this game is over and as much as I enjoyed this time here, all good things must come to an end."

The goddess, with tears in her eyes, nodded. She walked up and embraced the Alicorn. Around him, the ones he had brought with him reappeared from their hidden realm, as though they were ghosts which had materialized from smoke in the air. Celestia and Luna immediately rushed over to Twilight, who was still on the ground covered in Leon's blood. She had begun weeping uncontrollably where she lay and they went over to console her. As for the others, they stayed, listening to the rest of Origination's words.

"I screwed up when all of this happened, in a rush, I broke the seal that contained most of my powers. It wasn't calculated, it wasn't planned, and I made a mistake, one that condemned me to death," he paused in his speech and took a deep breath, "And now you, the Guardians of Equestria, I owe you my thanks, and I place my trust that you will all protect this land with your lives." He bowed his head, and made a small smile.

"Oblivion fell victim to what was the defense I had set up for this land. A boy I had protected since the dawn of time. His existence was an anomaly even I couldn't control, but I can control one last thing."

**-Twilight's Mind-**

He was gone.

I didn't care about the blood that soaked my body. I cared about the pony who had died.

… I…

I loved him.

No… I still love him.

But he was gone.

I had lost the pony who I had fallen in love with, even deeper than two years ago. I had just gotten him back. To lose him a second time. To know I'll never see him again…

I… I never even got the chance to tell him how I feel…

"… I loved him..." I said it through my sobs.

My sadness seemed to drown out all of the noise around me, and I could barely hear Celestia reply with her tender voice, "I know…" Her wing ignored the blood covering my body as she embraced my shuddering figure.

It didn't seem to help, but at that moment I would have given the world to make she she would never let go.

**-Heart of Everfree-**

Light walked over to the charred area where Oblivion and Leon had been, on the ground was a perfectly circular area. In it, charred in an even darker color, was an ornate circle, runic symbols covering every inch of the outer border and unusual lines crisscrossing within the inside of the circle. It was an odd sight.

And, as Light walked up to the body that had contained Leon's soul, he leaned down.

"Oblivion's power disappeared when Leon… well… did what he did. I-" he paused, "I had caused much of this to happen. I'm going to die anyways, so I figure this is an easier way to go."

He made a light laugh as he stood in the center of the runic circle.

"Goodbye, Guardians of Equestria. I've never had so much fun in all of my existence." He smiled, and as he lit up, so did the inscriptions on the ground. "This is my last act as The Origination. Just as the Figures found you worthy of their power, I find you worthy of mine. As for my life? Take it, for if I can no longer hold onto it myself. Good luck, my Proxy. Enjoy your promotion."

Engulfed in white light, a unicorn appeared. In all black, he held the cutie mark of a simple door. The one to Profectio, as it seemed to outline.

But Light had gone. Faded away into time. All that was left was his legacy.

Equestria.

It was only then that I finally opened my eyes.

I was alive. Around me everypony seemed unsure of what to do.

Then, in my eyes, the story's conclusion flashed. My death, Twilight's tears, Origination's sacrifice.

I got up and nodded, and with that, everypony smiled.

I had been granted the power of the Origination, I had become an almighty deity.

But at that moment, I was a simple pony. One who had died four times. Once on Earth, once a little over two years ago in Equestria, and twice in this last battle.

And that pony that just wouldn't stay dead had only one thing on his mind.

I walked past two surprised-looking alicorns, one white and one dark blue, and held the purple unicorn in my hooves.

"I'm never letting you go, you hear me Twilight?"

She opened her eyes, and through the tears a look of amazement appeared.

"You mean everything to me, Twilight. That's why I'll never let you go"

**- Afterward for The King: The Story of Another Day-**

That's the story. That's it. If I left any holes, oh well. I never was a writer, anyways. I'm a bit forgetful, don'tchaknow?

I can't even believe it's already been ten years since all of that happened. Life here in Ponyville makes time fly way too fast. Still, someone has to share this story. As for the original books? They vanished along with Light.

The gods who went to get the Elements of Harmony returned to find everything over and done with. I got more than a few apologies as that happened. Peddle seemed a bit crushed when he saw me and Twilight together, too. I think it was the first kiss that really caused him to freak out. Still, he found love elsewhere, in an ex-Wonderbolt named Spitfire. Trixie became a magician again, though it was now for everypony's entertainment instead of her own ego trip.

All in all, it was a bittersweet ending. The loss of Light weighed heavily on us all. That's really what drove me to write this book after all of this time. Still, I got to live a peaceful life in Ponyville with amazing friends. I'd have never imagined this when I was still human.

It was a shame, really, that this book will inevitably be placed in the 'fiction' section of the Canterlot library. Even in a land where magic is commonplace, things such as this seem too farfetched to be real. The war was real, the princess getting crowned was real, so why do ponies find this story so hard be believe?

Sure, there is historical evidence, but this could be viewed as a conspiracy, adding two and two to get five. But just trust me on this; ask Princess Twilight, she'll vouch for me. I promise. I mean, I married her, right?

Funny how odd this world, and every other, really is.

Thanks for reading.

~Prince Leon "Nyx" Sparkle

* * *

><p><strong><span>Sticking through to the end like this, it really means a lot. You guys are awesome. I can't believe that it's taken so long to write this, it feels like just last week I had begin writing the first few words.<span>**

**Please review and let me know if there are any questions, as for now, I am going to focus 100% on my new project: Nopony's Innocent. It's going to take a VERY long time, as there will be a lot of proofreading to do. It is a oneshot that is currently 31 pages long. There are 15173 words using 80850 characters (including spaces). So, I hope to see you then!**

**And, as Leon said better than I could, thanks for reading.**

**~Eyeclops, signing off.  
><strong>


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